An entire people is being unfairly targeted
Since colonialism, the majority of knowledge created about Pashtuns has been biassed and politicised. Instead of reflecting their experiences of being at the entrance point of foreign invaders into India, opposing invasions into their territory, and so being forced to become accustomed to conflicts, the Raj categorised them as a ‘martial’ and ‘savage’ people throughout the British era. Post-British too, much of the knowledge generated about the Pashtuns has not portrayed them as a mostly disadvantaged ethnic minority in Pakistan.
Before its merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa until 2018, the erstwhile FATA was referred to as ilaqa ghair, that meant foreign territory or lawless area. It included six ‘Frontier Regions (FRs)’ namely FR-Peshawar, FR-Kohat, FR-Bannu, FR-Lakki Marwat, FR-Tank, and FR-Dera Ismail Khan, in addition to seven Agencies including Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Orakzai, Kurram, North Waziristan, and South Waziristan. The Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), which Pakistan retained, was the parallel political, legal, and administrative framework that British colonists had imposed on FATA since 1901. It did away with fundamental rights. Under these conditions, the area’s social structure was preserved by the long-standing, unwritten Pashtunwali code of honourable behaviour.
Not enough has been written on Pashtuns by academics throughout the world in recent years; much of it has been done in response to particular military or governmental requirements. As a country, we have to strive for inclusive social policies that would enable the Pashtuns in the country to once again participate in mainstream governance and administration.
Pashtuns, the second largest ethnic group in Pakistan, make up 25 percent of the population. Despite their rich cultural traditions and diverse political and economic contexts, they have been branded aggressive and violent due to the ongoing war in Afghanistan. US funding for Pakistan’s proxy war in Afghanistan led to the growth of seminaries, attracting students who turned into jihadists. Intelligence agencies promoted these seminaries using the ethnic-religio card and a special curriculum to control Afghan refugee children.
There is no point in rehashing the political patronage that religious parties enjoyed under the regime of General Zia-ul-Haq. Also, once the Soviet forces withdrew from Afghanistan and the Taliban came to power, our intelligence agencies failed in their attempt to bring all groups together, leaving Afghanistan to deal with the internecine feuds until the rise of the Taliban in 1994, and later in 2021. As the Taliban gained popularity, they received material and moral help from the Pakistani establishment, enabling them to bring the entire state under their control.
A whole generation grew up in the violent shadow of the first Afghan jihad. Despite ethnic profiling of Pashtuns, empirical facts state that there is no general cultural trend that can point to them as being extremists. A study by a team from Princeton, Georgetown and Stanford Universities shows that Pashtun areas in Pakistan are the least supportive of terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. This is because the Pashtuns have paid the most, socially and economically as well. In the war, an estimated fighting force of 45,000 were on the side of the Taliban, from which only 11,000 were Pashtuns and most of them were Afghans. Hence, the damage to Pashtun nationalism was done, by none other than the state itself and its institutions.
It is unfair to the individuals who have given their all for the nation to paint Pashtuns as inflexible, aggressive, and terrorists based only on their ethnic profile. Since 2003, Pakistan has lost over 80,000 civilians in the war against terrorism. It is the second most affected country by terrorism, according to the Global Terrorism Index. A recent research conducted by the Pakistan Political Science Association (PPSA), claimed that out of the 80,000 killed, an estimated 57,254 were Pashtuns. Another research study conducted in 2014, by Professor Luqman Saeed, who took 329 files from Counter Terrorism Wing of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), showed that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) including Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) contributed only 16 percent of the terrorists. This implies that Pashtuns make up a sliver of the terrorists in Pakistan. They have been systematically deprived of their right to both religious and secular leadership, due to the stigma attached to their ethnic identity.
After decades of neglect and disenfranchisement, the province and the adjacent tribal areas have remained underdeveloped. Despite displacements and forced disappearances, the Pashtuns struggle to regain their glorious identity while caught between mullahs, militants and the military. Pashtuns have become synonymous as the ‘bad’ Taliban, so no wonder US drones can operate with impunity, killing hundreds of innocent people with the backing of the state.
The media does not portray the Pashtuns in a kind light. The culture of the Pashtun people have been highlighted since the time of Herodotus (484-425 BC) or Alexander the Great, who explored Afghanistan and what is now Pakistan, around 330 BC. Their systematic profiling and categorization by our state is abhorrent; they belong to a group that is as ancient as time itself.
Famous love stories in Pashto literature and traditional dances such as Attan, Khattak, Mahsud, and Waziri attest to the amorous lifestyle of the Pashtuns. The rural and tribal portions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa continue to adhere to the traditional legal and governance system known as Pashtunwali. The Pashtunwali encourages tolerance, self-reliance, fairness, self-respect, hospitality, love, forgiveness, and retaliation. Pashtuns are gregarious individuals who are well-known for their intimate bonds and social networks. Pashtuns are brave, industrious individuals who take great pride in their history and culture. They also extend kindness and hospitality to visitors. Liberty, fidelity, friendliness, toughness, thrift, labour, and caution are traits of the Pashtun people.
Not enough has been written on Pashtuns by academics throughout the world in recent years; much of it has been done in response to particular military or governmental requirements. As a country, we have to strive for inclusive social policies that would enable the Pashtuns in the country to once again participate in mainstream governance and administration.
The writer is Ph.D in Political Science, and visiting faculty at QAU Islamabad. His area of specialization is political development and social change. He can be reached at [email protected] and tweet@zafarkhansafdar.
