New Central-South Asia

[Toramana]

With the situation in Iraq-Syria increasingly becoming clear, it sounds all that is going on is a part of a grand design whether human-planed or divine, or a natural process. It seems in a matter of few years there would be desperate groups in Central-South Asia trying for stability and order. This offers formidable challenges as well as excellent opportunities.

Challenges include resolution of conflicts for territory and resources. Opportunities include putting in place a new regional order based on equality, democracy, and pluralism. This order may comprise a confederation or federation type contracts between the Muslim nations (sane Punjabis) inhabiting Central-South Asia where there can be multiple capitals, open borders, and trans-regional institutions like joint army, police force, transportation and education networks, media networks, etc. There can more than one regional lingua-franca, e.g., Persian/Dari and Urdu-Hindi.

Every nation will be autonomous yet a part of the confederation. Prospective nations participating in the confederation would be Baluchis, Pashtuns, Sindhis, Urdu-speakers, Siraikis, Kashmiris, Gilgit-Baltis and possibly Tajaks if they would like to go with us in a moderate-secular confederation of Sunni people instead of Shia Iran.

The present borders of the states have no logic and are the source of misery and plight for the nations inhabiting the region instead of stability and order. Durand Line is an example of this which has affected Pashtuns on both sides.

People should not fear such kind of arrangement. Although, speaking different languages, we are human beings and have common needs and desires. In an environment of security related to our identities, way of life, etc. we will come together and fuse with each other in the long-run. The present challenge is, how to make different people trust each other . That is possible only if there is a new contract between communities.

[Toramana]

I included Tajaks in the new confederation because as is clear in the situation in the Middle East, despite speaking common Arabic language, the Shias of Iraq, Syria, and probably also Arbian Peninsula consider themselves more aligned with Shia Iran than the Sunni Arab states or people.

I think Tajaks are mostly Sunnis.

There is the issue of Ismailis though. But it seems they may get their own Ismaili state in parts of Badakhshan, Gorno-Badakhshan, and Gilgit-Baltistan.

[Herat]

Toramana, this is a wish of wishes that I too hope happens but Im not as optimistic as you; the Pakistanis do not seem to be as incompetent as Maliki was and it is doubtful whether they would allow such a scenario to play out (it would also likely involve a tragedy that would mean mass deaths). I do think a civil war in Afghanistan is likely but I can't hope to predict how that will play out.
Whether Tajiks join such a confederation will be up to the people but I personally would not mind it, we have grown very distant from Iran and Central Asia and it seems unlikely to me that we will be able to join them any time soon. However, if we are allowed autonomy in such a union, we can endeavour to reconcile and build closer relationships with both Iran and Central Asia, this would hopefully connect the union to Iran and Central Asia in general.

[Da Bannu Mazdigar]

I see Greater future for SCO,which is rather based of Global Politics and greater Economic integrations of the member states

Such confederations based off Ethnicity and religion doesnt last long

[Toramana]

Toramana, this is a wish of wishes that I too hope happens but Im not as optimistic as you; the Pakistanis do not seem to be as incompetent as Maliki was and it is doubtful whether they would allow such a scenario to play out (it would also likely involve a tragedy that would mean mass deaths). I do think a civil war in Afghanistan is likely but I can't hope to predict how that will play out.
Whether Tajiks join such a confederation will be up to the people but I personally would not mind it, we have grown very distant from Iran and Central Asia and it seems unlikely to me that we will be able to join them any time soon. However, if we are allowed autonomy in such a union, we can endeavour to reconcile and build closer relationships with both Iran and Central Asia, this would hopefully connect the union to Iran and Central Asia in general.

Herat, thanks for the input. And lol, as the saying is, "if wishes were horses, beggars would ride". In my opinion, the process of re-ordering that started with the disintegration of USSR will continue till a new order is established. The 20th and 19th centuries political boundaries that have been putting resentful communities in chains cannot sustain for long until new social contracts are defined. In Afghanistan, it happened, is happening and there would be more to come in the coming years. It was USSR first, then Germany, alongside that changes in the ME (1990), then Balkans, North Africa (Sudan), now Ukraine, now ME again, and as one can see it, it will be Central South Asia again.

Unfortunately, we Muslims cannot solve our problems from a moral and practical stand-point-solutions that will lead to long-lasting stability. What we need are representative, pluralistic political orders inclusive of all diversity. The other unfortunate thing is, even Islamists harbor ethnicity-driven hegemonic, chauvinistic tendencies.

[Kushan Prince]

Herat, thanks for the input. And lol, as the saying is, "if wishes were horses, beggars would ride". In my opinion, the process of re-ordering that started with the disintegration of USSR will continue till a new order is established. The 20th and 19th centuries political boundaries that have been putting resentful communities in chains cannot sustain for long until new social contracts are defined. In Afghanistan, it happened, is happening and there would be more to come in the coming years. It was USSR first, then Germany, alongside that changes in the ME (1990), then Balkans, North Africa (Sudan), now Ukraine, now ME again, and as one can see it, it will be Central South Asia again.

Unfortunately, we Muslims cannot solve our problems from the a moral and practical stand-point-solutions that will lead to long-lasting stability. What we need is representative, pluralistic political orders inclusive of all diversity. The other unfortunate thing is, even Islamists harbor hegemonic, chauvinistic tendencies.

You stole that quote from Pakwatan lol.