Pashtuns' Identity Crisis to be tackled on war footings basis

[Badlun]

badlun,
if you object for a Pashtun girl to be called baloch in Baluchistan, then why are you ok with a Tajik, hazara to be called afghan in Afghanistan. you contradict yourself.

I am not OK with Tajiks hazara etc to be called Afghans but it is now a harsh reality to be digested for the territorial integrity and stability of Afghanistan. If you do not call them Afghans then what alternative you have?

Citizens of one state cannot be called with different words. They must have one name to be called and unfortunately in Afghanistan now constitutionally this word is Afghan. If it is changed into word like Afghanistani etc then it will be better but so far every citizen of Afghanistan is Afghan and every Pashtun is not Afghan otherwise 30 millions Pashtuns in Pakistan will claim Afghan nationality.

This is one aspect of the identity crisis Pashtuns are facing.

[Badlun]

The Human brain can't distinguish Afghan or Baloch from Afghanistani or Balochistani. But we can notice Paki from Pakistani, since it sounds offensive right away. Why is that? IT's a very Good thing Pakistan wasn't named Punjabstan or Punjabdesh.... Oh, west Bengal and Bangladesh, on either side are Bengalis, but Bangla"deshis" are only on the east?

All these cases are ideal examples of irredentism. Germans, Kurds, Bangalis, Pashtuns, Arabs etc are one ethnicity but divided in many countries. They do not have political unity but can have cultural, linguistic, social, economic affinity.

The problem of Pashtuns is a bit worse because they are mixed with other Afghans in Afghanistan and in Pakistan they are divided in many political units and especially in Balochistan they are misconceived for Balochs.

[Tjanaparh]

Thats not the same, if Tajik or Hazara call themself Pashtun that would be wrong. Afghan is now a nationality, like having a German pasport that makes you german by nationality, but your ethnicity is still Pashtun or what ever.
Thats is also the case with Tajiks and Hazaras, like Pashtun in Pakistan, they are Pakistany by nationality, is this so hard to understand?

My friend, ethnicity and nation is the same, simly nation is a latin word and ethnos a greek word. Both adapted in to english, in reality ethnos = natio
In Greek you say "ethnikotita"(ethnicity) for nationality.

[Tjanaparh]

When i have time I will come back on this topic.

[Khostai]

My friend, ethnicity and nation is the same, simly nation is a latin word and ethnos a greek word. Both adapted in to english, in reality ethnos = natio
In Greek you say "ethnikotita"(ethnicity) for nationality.

No

[Tjanaparh]

But how No, if the words have the same meaning?

If You don't believe me write "NATION" in google translate and look what is the Greek equivalent.

[randolph85]

badlun is the secular rationalist here but he says after pashtuns conquered the minorities in modern day afghanistan and wrote the constitution, named the names, made the laws, etc, that he is not OK with them calling themselves afghan?

i may be wrong here but i don't get his point.

i don't thing the people in afghanistan are as hung up about the "afghan" issue as outsiders like us on the internet are.

if the word "afghan" is to transcend nationality in afghanistan, it is up to the nationalists across the border to make something happen. i don't mean pretty speeches among their core supporters or when they visit afghanistan and put on the whole nationalistic show, but something real. they have failed to do this since the durand line and i seriously doubt that it will ever happen.

we are faced with occupation, oppression, slaughter, arial bombings, suicide bombings, corruption, and westernization that is chipping away at our islamic values. but people are focused on afghan, afghanistani, khorasani, poopistani, or whatever.

its like ok when you deal with that bullet that was just shot into your stomach, then you can worry about your damn shoes being untied.

[waterbear_waterbear]

Afghan is now a nationality bro.

Afghan is both a nationality and ethnicity,
Same with German as a nationality and ethnicity...
Even today, when we talk about Afghans in Pakistan, we include Pakistani Pashtuns. To distinguish from Afghan soviet war refugees, we say Afghan "Mohajir".

Recall when some people had the option to rename NWFP Afghania or Afghan Province, "In Pakistan" :P, but then they decided to use KPK instead.

[waterbear_waterbear]

My friend, ethnicity and nation is the same, simly nation is a latin word and ethnos a greek word. Both adapted in to english, in reality ethnos = natio
In Greek you say "ethnikotita"(ethnicity) for nationality.

Nationality is a combination of Race and Citizenship. Citizenship and Ethnicity are different things, but can combine to make Nationality....

Ethnicity - Race
+
Citizenship - Being a member to a sovereign state

=
Nationality - Being a member to a sovereign state because of your race.

[waterbear_waterbear]

But how No, if the words have the same meaning?

If You don't believe me write "NATION" in google translate and look what is the Greek equivalent.

Actually, Nation means to be born.... Ethnos means people, and ethnicity means a group of people someone belongs (usually based on how a group of people are related to eachother in distinction from other groups of people they may be less related to ) too distinct from other groups of people.

[Tjanaparh]

[MENTION=3612]water[/MENTION]bear
Nation doesn't mean to be born, but You are right the word NATIO may have same root as NASCERE (to be born).
Ethnos doesn't mean directly people, but means exactly same as Natio in Latin.
Simly people is ANTHROPOI.
Nation and Ethnos refer much more to genetical background too.
In Greek and latin the word for people as You meant is is respectively LAOS and POPULUS

[Darre08]

Serious steps must be taken by millions of Pashtuns to have their own identity. They are already divided in 2 states. In Afghanistan they are mixed with other Afghans and in Pakistan they are divided into three administrative units of FATA, KP and Baluchistan.

More than 45% of Baluchistan is Pashtun but always they are identified as Balochs or baluchistani.

I was shocked to see the following news item calling a Pashtun girl to be a Baluchistan girl

Balochistan girl scores top grades in ‘O Levels'

http://dawn.com/news/1043256/balochistan-girl-scores-top-grades-in-o-levels

How this identity crisis can be resolved? Your comments please.

Well EDUCATION/SCIENCE/nationalism and then TRUE UNITY for the Pashtun race. After that the easy way to fix this problem, start with systematic keep the religion out of politic, culture, tradition and systematic cleanse all filthy parasitic foreign traditions, beliefs, culture and start with Arabic, then go Westerners, Porkis, Hindi, "Persian". Try to take the best advices that suit Pasthuns from Avesta and Sanskrit (Pashto dialectic writings). Then with gentle and humane way try to move away people who doesn't belong there. For instance all non-pashtun, non-ariai, people should slowly decrease, we should keep the outside minority at 5 %. Pashtuns should be at least 85-90 % of majority. We are not pure as our ancestors, but I bet they would be proud of us if we achieved this and in paradies some of them would be proud of us. I may not go to heaven, but my love for my people, ancestors and culture are a easy thing to sacrifice for my place in paradise, anyway. Important to use this strategy is without killing INNOCENT people, we are civilized not barbarians like the other people such as arabs, mongols, anglo saxons etc. this should be a policy only high position Pashtun should know.

Don't forget when we are strong again, our enemies (elite families, soldiers etc who fought against our race) that has not been crushed by others, should be extinct on molecular level.

Best Regards

[Da Bannu Mazdigar]

in Pakistani pashtuns case the prolong can be very easily solved

Merge Pashtuns dominated parts balochistan and FATA with KPK give it a greater KPK or a similar name.

Peshawar as the capital in winter and Quetta in summer.And make a strip out of the balochistan so that Loy pakhtunkhwa can have access to sea aswell

United pakistan pashtuns from chitral beyond quetta and upto the small strip dissected from the present balochistan to have access to warm water.

[Badlun]

Well EDUCATION/SCIENCE/nationalism and then TRUE UNITY for the Pashtun race. After that the easy way to fix this problem, start with systematic keep the religion out of politic, culture, tradition and systematic cleanse all filthy parasitic foreign traditions, beliefs, culture and start with Arabic, then go Westerners, Porkis, Hindi, "Persian". Try to take the best advices that suit Pasthuns from Avesta and Sanskrit (Pashto dialectic writings). Then with gentle and humane way try to move away people who doesn't belong there. For instance all non-pashtun, non-ariai, people should slowly decrease, we should keep the outside minority at 5 %. Pashtuns should be at least 85-90 % of majority. We are not pure as our ancestors, but I bet they would be proud of us if we achieved this and in paradies some of them would be proud of us. I may not go to heaven, but my love for my people, ancestors and culture are a easy thing to sacrifice for my place in paradise, anyway. Important to use this strategy is without killing INNOCENT people, we are civilized not barbarians like the other people such as arabs, mongols, anglo saxons etc. this should be a policy only high position Pashtun should know.

Don't forget when we are strong again, our enemies (elite families, soldiers etc who fought against our race) that has not been crushed by others, should be extinct on molecular level.

Best Regards

Excellent piece of writing from a puritan's angel. I wish this ideal state of affairs may emerge one day with pure Pashtunwali and pure Pashtun life style. However keeping in view the ground realities we may chalk out a pragmatic strategy as identified by the Bannu above. Starting from unity within the present set up.

Pashtuns are very unique people. They outshine all others around them. Their towering personalities overshadow others. I am saying not being a Pashtun but if I forget myself for a while not to be Pashtun and look at Pashtuns objectively

I find them great people with God gifted qualities but all their energies these days are spent on religious extremism and do not focus on material development. Once we are materially developed we will have more impressive identity. Beggars are not choosers. Let us be a power in the comity of nations.