How to get rid of Punjab's Slavery?

[pir_Rokhan]

How to get rid of Punjab's Slavery
by Pir Rokhan

Pashtuns willingly or unwillingly are the slaves of Punjab due to the nomenclature of the state they are living in and their slavery has been made sanctified to them by naming it patriotism and Muslim brotherhood etc following the agenda of all imperialists.

The defacto source of power in the state is occupied by Punjab in the form of army and other forces while the fort of industrial and monetary power is occupied by the Mahajir community. It is the source of natural resources like minerals and water which is with the Baloch and Pashtuns respectively both of which have been exploited by Punjab for the last 63 years.

The cultural and historic ties of both Pashtuns of Pashtunkhwa and Baloch have been much stronger with Afghans than Punjabis and Sindhis. The exploitation of both oppressed nations in Pakistan is a factor which repels both the nations from Pakistan while the cultural and historic commonality element attracts them both to Afghanistan.

Hence the natural and logical consequence of this equation is the cessation of both nations from Pakistan and

a) either the formation of a seperate state or

b) their unification with Afghanistan.

In either case:

It is an established fact of Political science that:

1) Political goals cannot be achieved through non political means,

2) Collective goals cannot be achieved individually

3) The individuality of a person gets perfected when the person strives for collective cause and the collective cause cannot be perfected if you dont have individuals of substance

The logical result of these three premises in case of Pashtuns is that the Pashtuns of Pakistan have to support a political struggle in one way or another to get rid of Punjab's slavery and achieve the goal of Freedom. It is therefore suggested that the Pashtuns of Pashtunkhwa should either support any one of the existing political parties [ANP or PKMAP,though PKMAP seems to understand the requirements of the freedom struggle more than ANP which which has a pro establishemnt agenda] or atleast support anyone or another in one form or another whether the support is on moral,intellectual, financial or academic level.

[Talal]

Pir Rokhan I believe Afghanistan has been working consistently to achieve goals a and b since 1947.. Would you not agree to that ? To be frank, the entire instability in the region is because the above two points have been at the core of all Afghan policies towards Pakistan and Pakistan's interference in Afghanistan is the direct result of that

Also I am wondering how many Pashtuns do you think from Pakistan would even consider these as options ?

Other users please don't give me the argument that I have a Pashtun classmate who hates Pakistan

[Wrayun]

Are the Pukhtoons slaves, willingly or unwillingly?

Personally I consider it a horrendous shame, insult and slap to the Pukhtoons when labeled as slaves or servants of anyone more so that of the Punjaabis. A people who have been under Pukhtoon/Afghan rule for consecutive centuries, not decades, but centuries. Pukhtoons are the only people that have won their freedom against major global powers, and to call them slaves of some like Punjaabis is like spitting on the graves of their martyrs. Such nonsense creates inferiority complexes and imposes on the abilities of a foe who might not be so great after all. The sub-conscious result of this is that the victim comes to admire the victimizer unknowingly. So it's unhealthy to perpetuate such rhetoric, where the grounds for such pronouncements are anything but stretchy.

It is true that Pukhtoons today are marginalized in Pakistan, but so are they in Afghanistan. In Pakistan even though a Punjaabi dominated state, you have Pukhtoons in the army, air force, media, business, education etc. etc. from all walks of life. You even have new generation of Afghan Pukhtoons dominating certain fields in Pakistan for example the food and transportation industry. This is not to gloat over the sugary state of Pakistan because in Pakistan Pukhtoons do suffer, are alienated and marginalized to great extents. Though a simple reminder that a counter argument as such does exist. And to blame Punjaabis for everything is as absurd as blaming Taajiks for all the shortcomings of the Pukhtoons in Afghanistan. Much of the blame lies on the Pukhtoons themselves.

Whether dynastic Pukhtoon leaders or political Pukhtoon leaders, we all know the age old saying that you can't unite Pukhtoons under one roof. Examples have been given, prose has been written, matals are plenty. This unfortunate fact is clearly evident in the history of the state of Afghanistan ever since hadrat Ahmed Shah Baba closed his eyes and his descendants acquired his kingdom. From there on the story is of a state that has been in constant war with itself where fathers are killing sons, sons killing fathers, brothers killing brothers, uncles killing nephews....so on and forth. Afghanistan national flag has changed face more than any country on the planet. Multiple types of governments and ideologies tried, and not to forget even small things like national anthem or national language issues. Some of these are great concerns, others are minor, but relevant to the point I wish to address.

What's the problem? Tribalism!

The Pukhtoon/Afghans are not only tribal in practice by so is their psyche. Not only are they divided into tribes, regions, nations, and dialects but they are also divided by philosophy, goals, and thinking. We at the core are a tribal society, and no tribal society has ever emerged as a single cohesive state. Good example, the Arabs. Same language, same culture, same religion, same lineages, but various nations based on tribal affinities. Forget uniting into a Loy Afghanistan or Pukhtoonkhwa, the chances of Pukhtoons dividing into even smaller states can't be ignored. Just look at the mentioned political parties, ANP and PKMP, what are they based on if not tribal affinities? What's stopping them from uniting if not tribal differences? Both are as Pakistani loving or hating as each other. Both are part of the Pakistani political scheme, and both have sided with various Pukhtoon "enemies" to further their political agendas. Look at the differences in power when it comes to Afghanistan. Is it really about religion, freedom, or national unity? Look at the tribal affiliations of the various powers at play. Don't stop there, go way further than that, go before even Afghanistan existed.

Let's take this very platform in consideration. I am glad that we are discussing these issues over the internet sitting soundly behind our computers. I can only imagine what would happen if these discussions were taking place face to face, by now someone would have stabbed a wahabi, shia, sufi, atheist, paki, afghani, pathan, or farsiwan. These are the educated types, and even they suffer from this cultural disease.

To get rid of any sort of slavery or bondage think in terms of being a citizen of the Pukhtoon nation first. Not of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Ummah, or your tribe. You need to first clean up your own house and get it in order before you can help humanity or an ummati. That's common sense. Don't expect others to give you your freedom, your rights, or spend too much time moaning about what others are doing to you. That's their job, they will look out for their interests at the expensive of yours. Take initiative and help yourselves. Support these political parties but don't put all of your eggs in these baskets. Keep yourselves flexible. You can't change these parties from within, many have tried. They will end up changing you. Instead start fresh, based on pure Pukhtoon interest, and made up of mainly the younger educated generation who don't suffer from such tribalism. The old generation suffer from nostalgia, romanticism, and age old Neanderthalic concepts. They spend too much time whining about the bully instead of coming up with practical solutions to deal with it.

So before you select any options, become Pukhtoon citizens, or don't expect anything to change.

[khyaal]

Equating tribal values with primitivism and backwardness is British anthropogist's connotation and not all anthropologists in the West agree with this definition of them.

[Wrayun]

Equating tribal values with primitivism and backwardness is British anthropogist's connotation and not all anthropologists in the West agree with this definition of them.

It's not about backwardness or primitivism. It's about regionalism, and favoritism, something that hasn't escaped the most modern or educated midst Pukhtoons.

[khyaal]

You are generalisizing personal interest game with Pashtun(afghan) psyche which is true about almost all nations of the World. Vested interests are most visible in non-tribal, pseudo-urban societies and pseudo-democracies like Pakistan.

[Wrayun]

You are generalisizing personal interest game with Pashtun(afghan) psyche which is true about almost all nations of the World. Vested interests are most visible in non-tribal, pseudo-urban societies and pseudo-democracies like Pakistan.

The interest game midst Pukhtoons is limited to their narrow output which is heavily influenced by regionalism and biased towards their closest of kin. They are more concerned with direct interest, rather broadening it to the whole of Pukhtoon qawm. In other words they are citizens of their own tribes, not of the whole Pukhtoon nation. They are too busy labeling one another as pure, impure, proper or improper.

[khyaal]

Look the problems of Afghans(Pashtuns) are geopolitical which resulted in the division of Afghanistan by the British imperialists. The present scenario of chaos in Occupied Pakhtunkhwa is the result of the loss of political sovereignty to Punjab due to British colonialists (every body knows this) and that of Azad Afghanistan is due to the more than 30 years long imposed war on it where it became the arena of global powers, and above all Pakistan's altra agenda of gaining strategic depth through occupying Azad Afghanistan.

Though the ground for the proxy war was Afghanistan but the safe haven for the insurgents was the neighbouring occupied afghan land.

Pashtuns(afghans) immediate issue is how to reverse the calamities brought upon their land during the great game, which resulted in their division and the cold war which resulted in the collapse of state structure of fatherland Afghanistan.

What you have discussed are mere symptoms of them. Though they may exist independently of them in many nations but it is not the root issue here.

We, the people of Pakhtunwa just need a clear agenda for winning back our lost sovereignty. You can help us devise that political strategy. This is what the thread is about.

[Wrayun]

We, the people of Pakhtunwa just need a clear agenda for winning back our lost sovereignty. You can help us devise that political strategy. This is what the thread is about.

I am trying to help, by addressing the very reasons how we lost our sovereignty in the first place.

Occupied Pakhtunkhwa

That is insulting. Pukhtoonkhwa is occupied by whom? Do the people of Pukhtoonkhwa know they are occupied? How can 30 million Pukhtoons be occupied and not know? You can say marginalized Pukhtoonkhwa, alienated Pukhtoonkhwa, but hardly occupied. Last I remember it was the nationalists calling in the Pakistani army, and in Afghanistan NATO army, to occupy Pukhtoon lands.

Pukhtoons are free, they have paid huge sacrifices for that freedom. If anything, they are occupied and slaves to their own thinking. The walls in front of them are created by them. No one can occupy Pukhtoons. History is a testimony.

[khyaal]

That is insulting. Pukhtoonkhwa is occupied by whom? Do the people of Pukhtoonkhwa know they are occupied? How can 30 million Pukhtoons be occupied and not know? You can say marginalized Pukhtoonkhwa, alienated Pukhtoonkhwa, but hardly occupied. Last I remember it was the nationalists calling in the Pakistani army, and in Afghanistan NATO army, to occupy Pukhtoon lands.

Pukhtoons are free, they have paid huge sacrifices for that freedom. If anything, they are occupied and slaves to their own thinking. The walls in front of them are created by them. No one can occupy Pukhtoons. History is a testimony.

OK. So you don't agree with the very premise that Pashtuns of Pakhtunkhwa land are occupied. Then, Please, have a comparison of the British era with that of that of the present Punjabi era and convince us how we are not slaves and our land is free.

Please keep in mind that Pashtuns were in the British army, bureaucracy, and had their governments as a result of elections in 1937 and 1946. If Punjabis are not occupier then why were the British?

[Wrayun]

OK. So you don't agree with the very premise that Pashtuns of Pakhtunkhwa land are occupied. Then, Please, have a comparison of the British era with that of that of the present Punjabi era and convince us how we are not slaves and our land is free.

Do you agree that Pukhtoons of Afghanistan are occupied by NATO forces, and that Karzai is only alive because of the foreign security guards around him?

Please keep in mind that Pashtuns were in the British army, bureaucracy, and had their governments as a result of elections in 1937 and 1946. If Punjabis are not occupier then why were the British?

The difference between the British and Pakistani state is that within Pakistan Pukhtoons are willing subjects. The army of Pakistan didn't invade or wage war against Pukhtoons (except in the early history of the nation). Today a good portion of the Pukhtoons within Pakistan consider themselves integrated part of the country. Look at the nationalist Pukhtoon parties like ANP and PKMP, they work within the parliament of the pseudo-secular state of Pakistan, not outside. The British were colonizers, the Punjaabi haven't colonized any part of the Pukhtoon domain. They dare not. They control their own regions, and for some good time in the history of Pakistan, the Pakistani army has stayed away from Pukhtoon lands. Only recently due to the current war against "terrorism" that Pakistani army has entered areas where previously unimaginable. As for the British, we all know that history.

Pakistan is not using it's army, state resources, or might to influence or control Pukhtoons. At least to the extent where you can call it "occupation". They are using Pukhtoon mentality and sentiments against Pukhtoons.

[BLS_1919v2.0]

Wrayun he isn't talking about an occupation as in a military one or a colonial one. Rather when people say Pashtunkhwa is occupied it is in a way that during 1947, the Pashtuns were denied their right to reunite with Afghanistan or form their separate state. In doing so Pashtunkhwa is basically living in a continuation of the British raj system. Obviously even then we had a few Pashtuns who worked within their military and bureaucracy but the on the whole Pashtuns were same old same old. If you go to any portion of Pashtunkhwa you will similar things. Malakand division is PATA and has its own set of rules, Tribal areas is FATA with FCR, mardan, half of peshawar, swabai is settled areas, and the other half of peshawar, Bannu (I think) is frontier region. So even within Pashtunkhwa political gaps have been created by making these multiple polities. One layer of governance over the other.

The key difference between Britain and Pakistan is that Pakistan is a lot more cruel in terms of military operations and in everyday life (for the past 63 years) they have used Islam as the make or break point for them. So if you criticize Pakistan, you are a zionist or hindu agent (back in the day communist). So covertly they impose a mughal north indian supra culture in the country. Obviously they don't go door to door and harass people. Rather in schools, through the media, through many moolanas (aka religious parties) they have imposed on the Pashtun society their Pakistaniyath. Some have accepted it under the guise of Islam. I mean who wants to be dubbed a kaffir, right? Therefore, the culture, language, history is threatened. Any attempts to change it is severely hampered by continuous military coups and the set up of the parliamentary government of Pakistan. Let me give you a good example, any constitutional change or amendment to pass must be accepted by about 2/3rds of the national assembly. Now in order to get 2/3rds that means you need approval of a chunk of Panjab. Even if all the three provinces voted one way, Panjab by virtue of its seats in the assembly can sideline it. So Pashtuns politically are also hampered in this system.

[Maiwand]

Pashtuns can unite only on one thing and that is Islam. Only islam can unite us all. Otherwise every tribe and every sub-tribe will look for its own interest and benefit and will hate each other, they will wage war against each other, as they have done for centuries. Just like the Prophet (pbuh) united the different warring tribes in former Yathrib when he migrated to there from Mekka and made them brothers and one united force, just like that we have to unite the Pashtuns first of all and then the other ethnic groups into one power by Islam. 99% of the Pashtuns are muslim. Even the different sects can agree on the major things, like the Quran, one God and Muhammad (pbuh) as our prophet. The small differences can be solved peacefully at a later time. At least we have to come to common terms on those major issues.

And the other important thing is that we shouldn't trust the so-called political parties. Because they have always made a lot of promisses, but never are they fulfilled. They are directly working under the pakistan politcial system and are coopted. The best way to liberate the Pashtuns is through other means that the political process. Those political parties are very corrupt and are not working for the interest of the Pashtuns.

[muhsina]

@Maiwand

The prophet fought against the infidels and that too against one tribe [his own tribe] which was exploiting the whole Arabs on the basis of their religeous status in the society and most importantly all of them were one nation in the ethnic and linguistic sense and to a loose extent in territorial sense of nationhood. In case of Pakhtuns of Pakhtunkhwa ,none of this is true.

1) Punjabis are not exploiting Pakhtuns or occupying Pakhtunkhwa politically on the basis of faith as Pakhtuns are not infidels.

2) Punjabis are using religion as a political tool to safeguard their vested interests against Afghanistan and India.

3) Punjabis and Pakhtuns are not one nation ethnically,linguistically or racially.

4) The land of Pakhtuns was illegally occupied by Pakistan army like that of Qalat state.

5) The rivals of Pakhtuns/Afghans were Brits and when they left , Pakistan conducted a fake referendum which was boycotted by Khudai khidmatgars movement leadership and Pakhtunkhwa was illegally made part of the then Pakistan.It was logically supposed to be returned to Afghanistan instead.

It should be clearly understood that the difference and conflict of Pakhtuns with Punjab or Pakistan is purely political. Pakhtuns have nothing agaisnt the nation or race called Punjabis. We stand by their poor and oppressed and stand against their oppressors and elite.

[Maiwand]

@Maiwand

The prophet fought against the infidels and that too against one tribe [his own tribe] which was exploiting the whole Arabs on the basis of their religeous status in the society and most importantly all of them were one nation in the ethnic and linguistic sense and to a loose extent in territorial sense of nationhood. In case of Pakhtuns of Pakhtunkhwa ,none of this is true.

1) Punjabis are not exploiting Pakhtuns or occupying Pakhtunkhwa politically on the basis of faith as Pakhtuns are not infidels.

2) Punjabis are using religion as a political tool to safeguard their vested interests against Afghanistan and India.

3) Punjabis and Pakhtuns are not one nation ethnically,linguistically or racially.

4) The land of Pakhtuns was illegally occupied by Pakistan army like that of Qalat state.

5) The rivals of Pakhtuns/Afghans were Brits and when they left , Pakistan conducted a fake referendum which was boycotted by Khudai khidmatgars movement leadership and Pakhtunkhwa was illegally made part of the then Pakistan.It was logically supposed to be returned to Afghanistan instead.

It should be clearly understood that the difference and conflict of Pakhtuns with Punjab or Pakistan is purely political. Pakhtuns have nothing agaisnt the nation or race called Punjabis. We stand by their poor and oppressed and stand against their oppressors and elite.

The prophet fought not only against his own tribe. He fought against the all the mushrikeen (polytheists) of Arabia, the Jews and their supporters and even the Romans. But my point was something else. I wanted to make clear that only the Islam can unite the Pashtuns. Through Islam we can become a strong political/social entity. It is the only thing binding us. That's how the prophet united the different tribes in Arabia and how he formed a strong political/social and economic power. Because Islam is the truth, it is very powerful and almost all the pashtuns are already believers, so the only thing we have to do is to implement the sharia law at the state leven (political level) and fight against secularism and all the other false idelogies. After that we can even deal with Punjab and other issues. But the most important thing is to first become united and strong. And that can only come true through Islam (both as an ideologie and belief).