The migration and the mistreatment ....are we rational enough

[Toramana]

This point is important. Let us discuss it.

[Toramana]

My purpose in starting this thread was to discuss the blame leveled against KP Pashtuns/ Afghans for mistreating Afghans from Afghanistan. The aim is not to evoke a controversy or conflict. If that happens, I will request the admin to lock the thread.

Unfortunately, Pashtuns on either side of the Durand Line have gone through an ordeal of the gravest-scale of the second-half of the 20th Century in terms of loss of lives and property, dilution of social institutions, and destrcuction of political asset. They faced displacement/migration in their own land. All this happened due to the greed of super powers and the imperial ambitions of some regional states who wanted to advance their agenda at the cost of Pashtuns. This would form one of the darkest episode of Pashtun history.

Here I want to draw attention to the question as whether it is humanly possible that mass migration, involving millions of people and lasting for decades, from one area to another area occurs and any instance of misunderstanding doesn't arise? I think it would be extremely irrational to assume that the relations between the hosts and those who were forced into displacement would remain warm and brotherly all the time and everywhere.

Were it not for the infrastructural capacity and a good degree of the resource-sufficiency of the KP (Khyber Pukhtunkhwa) or Baluchistan coupled with the ethnic solidairty between the hosts and those that were displaced and international assistance at least during the first 8-10 years, this wouldn't have become possible. This is a miracle that happened and both the host Pashtuns/Afghans and displaced Afghans should be credited for it.

Now let us assume, a few millions Pashtuns/Afghans from Pukhtunkhwa immigrate to say Jalababad or Kabul, is it realistic to assume that they would be treated with perfect fraternal affection/equality? In 2009, when people from Swat migrated to Peshawar plains, there arose a conflict with local people at some places because the new-comers offered cheaper labour cost.

I think it is better to be realistic and rational than to be idealistic. Even in the same home, there is an informal/implicit contract between brothers about the same level of share in rights and responsibility.

Why shouldn't we all Pashtuns/Afghans celebrate that we were able to do few people are able to due to our values of hospitality and fraternal responsibility?

[BLS_1919v2.0]

There were cases of mistreatment, no doubt...mostly by the police and other individuals who mistreated the refugees in tents (I don't even like considering someone from Afghanistan a refugee). However, to be fair, like you mentioned, the refugees of swat/buner or FATA were treated no better. In fact I would say as worse if not more (not to say that the bad treatment by some to Afghanistan pashtuns was any better). Two provinces closed their doors on them and within Peshawar the same things that were pulled on them. Then again, it is also important to mention the hospitality of the rest of Pashtunkhwa (and also of Afghanistan pashtuns today towards the pashtun IDPs of FATA). It really does prove blood is thicker than water....I mean we have our own to depend on during tough times. Also, karachi is a prime example where there isn't much solidarity...where the mahajirs and pashtuns both fought each other constantly. That has not happened in the last 20 years among Pashtuns (of course there are stories of police and some khar gaadday pathans).

[Toramana]

Blood is thicker than water. In Karachi, many Afghans/Pashtuns live who are at the forefront of Pashtun politics when it comes to competition with Urdu-speakers.

[Feroza_Banu]

I am trying to understand the purpose of this thread.

are you saying the mistreatment was natural? due to hundreds of thousands of Afghan citizens pouring into KP, the mistreatment was a natural backlash? so we shouldn't blame those who have mistreated afghans... their OWN afghans!?






Let's forget about what happened but talk about WHY it happened. The reason why anyone mistreats someone coming to stay at their home is because they consider them as an outsider! an outsider doesn't belong in your home or on your land. This concept of Afghans from Afghanistan being outsider or muhajir is fed to KP pashtoons by Pakistan. When ur own people become outsider to you, you are bound to mistreat them. This is one of millions of attempts of creating disunity amongst pashtoons by the enemy of pashtoons. but just like usual pashtoons fail to see this! we fall victim to their strategies. We are swayed easily and we are brainwashed easily.

and bear in mind - Afghans are not bothered much with mistreatment received from normal people; it is those government officials, police (which by the way should work to PROTECT the people) have mistreated Afghans the MOST!. so this isn't something so ordinary that people can or should forget about... this is severe mistreatment... not so everyday slurs but rather serious backlash...

To what do we owe this mistreatment?

Many Afghans settled in KP have opened up their own businesses, they came in with resources in their hand, and the ones who didn't have a penny worked their way up. Afghans are not baighairat to have waited for Pakistani government to come feed them. They have mostly earned every penny with their hard work. They have helped flourish Peshawar and Quetta. Go to Quetta and witness how many business/jewelery shops/clothes shop/markets are own by Afghans from Afghanistan. The biggest Jewelery business owners are actually the Tajiks of Kandahar! The biggest cloth businesses are owned by Pashtoons from Afghanistan.

And the ones who were extremely poor and migrated to KP and surrounding area are still in refugee camps... what government ever came to help them? What Pakistani official ever bothered himself with Afghan Refugees...? EVEN THOUGH they received BILLIONS of Dollars IN OUR NAME... Even though they built their OWN country by getting aid money from other countries in the name of REFUGEES! ... I have yet to see a welfare system set up for these poor ghareeb Afghan muhajir, spending a dollar out of those billions on them. And lets forget about welfare... these ignorant people did everything they could to create hatred in heart of pashtoons in KP for their OWN people!.

The mistreatment of pashtoons by pashtoons happened because those pashtoons have lost connection with their roots. They have forgotten who they are... their citizenship card defines them... and the word "pathan" identifies them. and Afghans were "GilamJam" to them... why do u guys hide the truth ? it wasn't only a word used for non pashtoons... it was and is a word used for ALL AFGHANS. What respect could those pathan have for Afghans? they respect Pakistan's holly army and holly officials day in and out...

This mistreatment isn't NATURAL... This is part of the plan to create disunity amongst pashtoons... this is the result of years of brainwashing that has taken place... this is written in your books! "Afghans the outsider, the muhajir" ...

And when you hear a politician speak about Afghan muhajirs, they make it seem like its a decades of headache that they had to deal with... they talk about different ways of kicking them out! ... are we really a pain to Pakistan???????... We have been nothing but a blessing to Pakistan... because of us, and the money that poured in the country has enabled Pakistan become a nuclear power... ... We are indeed a blessing! ... and we owe nothing to ANYONE!... we have done Pakistan a favor by migrating to their country!

[Toramana]

Thanks for the feedback.

Let me ask you one question i.e., exactly what proportion/percetage of Afghans from Afghanistan established busnesses that ultimately benefited Pashtuns of Pukhtunkhwa? Do you have credible statistics to back your claim or are you just speculating? I am afraid you are talking in absolutist terms.

Foremost, do you imply Pashtuns/Afghans of Pukhtunkhwa had no good life before the Afghan Jehad or War whatever you may like to call it, that the Yousafzais of Sawabi Mardan or Mohammadzais of Charssada didn't toil one of the finest lands in the world to grow world-class cash crops like Tobbaco, sugar cane, etc...that is Pashtuns/Afghans of NWFP didn't know how to run businesses?

For your kind information, the transformation in KP hadn't started with the arrival of Afghans from Afghanistan but rather much before that in 1950s and 1960s when Pashtuns/Afghans had migrated to Karachi on a large-scale for livelihood, joined in larger numbers public sector jobs in KP itself, and accessed the labour market in the Gulf region (that happened in early 70s). Even today, 40% of Pakistan's foreign remitances come from the money sent by Pashtun expatiates in the Middle East.

This is not to deny that the Afghans from Afghanistan contributed to PK economy or infrastructure but claiming all in KP was made possible by international assistance during Afghan war or the hard-work of one Afghan or another is just an overstatement. You should also know that the International assistance started in1981 and almost dried up in 1990-1992 and not all of that was spent on KP or Baluchistan or FATA for that matter. The Paki nuclear program didn't benefit Pashtuns by the way.

[Toramana]

What if even a fraction of a million of KP Pashtuns/Afghans migrate to Jalalabad or Kandahar or Kabul? I am absolutely certain they would not be welcome with that much of open-arms or brotherly affection - not that Pashtuns/Afghans of Afghanistan have less Pashtunwali but that is how humans are.

As long as, our level of comfort is not disturbed to a tolerable extent, we, humans, do extend humanistic, territorial, and most likely and importantly of all, in our case, ethnic and fraternal/paternal sympathy/emapthy to those in need but the moment we feel it is costing us much in terms of our own well-being, we become unfriendly. This is how we humans are. And not all people are saints to extend selfless and unlimited affection to others. Most of the people are normal human beings given to feelings of insecurity and fear due to change in demographic factors.

It doesn't mean there didn't happen unfortunate incidents involving govt officials or common folk.

[PFgulalai]

Toramana, clearly you have never visited Peshawar where every Afghan is made fun of. Afghans are looked at as refugees despite speaking Pashto.

Only Pakistanis like you will do, and think like this. So what if they lived in camps? Our own people (with Pakistani Passport) became "majaraan" last year due to your Punjo Army (Thanks Toramana).Calling them IDP's did not change their status of living in camps.Oh by the way, they also spoke Pashto..noo sa wosho?

[Toramana]

Toramana, clearly you have never visited Peshawar where every Afghan is made fun of. Afghans are looked at as refugees despite speaking Pashto.

Yes, that attitude is found in some Hindkowanans. There was this biased Hindko-speaking nationalist with the name Haji Halim Jan. In a function organized by an English daily, he, as a speaker, said something very bad about Afghans and all Pashtuns attending that function stood up, criticized him, and were about to beat him but was saved by one of the respected Pashtuns from Afghanistan in that function ironically.

By the way Hindku-speakers are our brothers but there are some (very few in number) that harbour this grudge against Pashtuns. They think with the arrival of Afghans, Peshawar city has been Pashtunized. So the deep disliking for Afghans/Pashtuns.

[Admin Khan]

Yes, that attitude is found in some Hindkowanans. There was this biased Hindko-speaking nationalist with the name Haji Halim Jan. In a function organized by an English daily, he, as a speaker, said something very bad about Afghans and all Pashtuns attending that function stood up, abused him, and were about to beat him but was saved by one of the respected Pashtuns from Afghanistan in that function ironically.

By the way Hindku-speakers are our brothers but there are some (very few in number) that harbour this grudge against Pashtuns. They think with the arrival of Afghans, Peshawar city has been Pashtunized. So the deep disliking for Afghans/Pashtuns.

Toramana I am slightly confused with the last part. If Hindkowans claim to be of Pashtun descent, why are they complaining if Pashtuns of Afghanistan Pashtunized Peshawar?

[Levanaye Zalmaye]

Every villager and nomad is unfortunately looked down upon in urban centers. Even a Wazir commoner in his traditional garb would be looked down upon in Peshawar but a Wazir who can afford a house in DHA will be respected. It's the same case with all refugees. City-dwellers, for different reasons, show xenophobic behavior when it comes to village-folk.

[Toramana]

Admin Khan, actually, before Afghans/Pashtuns moved into Peshawar city, most of the businesses were controlled by Hindko-speakers. They also owned most of the more valuable commercial property. So dominent they were, that the city was virtually a Hindkowan city. The demography was changed first by the migration of Momands in 1940s and 1950s followed by the arrival of other Pashtuns into Peshawar in 1960s for jobs and education but the most decisive blow was struck by the movement of Afghans/Pashtuns into Peshawar in 1980s. That changed the demographic and ethnic make-up of the city once for all. Since then, there is a constant flow of Pashtuns to Peshawar further displacing the Hindkowans from commercial and cultural sphere of the city.

The other reason is, although, some Hindko-speaker are of Pashtun-descent, others are not. Moreover, the sense of affiliation to the mainstream culture of KP in Hindko-speakers is relegated to secondary status in importance by the simultaneous allegiance to the mainstream Indo-Aryan culture of Pakistan of which Hindko is also a part. Too much Pashtunization at the hands of Afghans especially is perceivably something a threat to the Pakistaniyath of Peshawar.

The reasons are, therefore, economical as well as cultural and nationalistic (i.e., Pakistani nationalistic). This is also linked with share in political representation.

But KP and Peshawar city are places in transition/transformation. With the passage of time, more and more Hindko-speakers are integrating into the mainstream culture of KP. I think Govt must do something to preseve the rich internal city culture of Hindko-speakers, which is a shared heritage of the KP.

[Azmal]

I suggest this thread to be locked; this discusses does not benefit Afghans. We all have done some bad stuff to each others, time to move on and forgive/forget, lets not the artificial Durand line divide us. Lar aw bar yew Afghan.

[Azmal]

Yes, that attitude is found in some Hindkowanans. There was this biased Hindko-speaking nationalist with the name Haji Halim Jan. In a function organized by an English daily, he, as a speaker, said something very bad about Afghans and all Pashtuns attending that function stood up, abused him, and were about to beat him but was saved by one of the respected Pashtuns from Afghanistan in that function ironically.

By the way Hindku-speakers are our brothers but there are some (very few in number) that harbour this grudge against Pashtuns. They think with the arrival of Afghans, Peshawar city has been Pashtunized. So the deep disliking for Afghans/Pashtuns.

I find the Pashto speaking Hindkus the most anti-Afghan/Pashtons. They have adopted our language but their race and culture are still Hindku. We Pashtons needs to be cautious about these kind of people.