Time For the Pakhtun Leadership to Ask for United Pukhtunkhw

[Fatima yousafzai]

Time For the Pakhtun Leadership to Ask for United Pukhtunkhwa Province

Fatima Ahmed Yousafzai
fatimakhan76999@gmail.com

Over the last couple of weeks a new debate is raging on the Pakistani media: The carving out of a new Siraiki Province from present Punjab including the southern Punjab with Multan and Bahawalpur as its principal centres. This debate was for long time restricted to Drawing rooms gossip and and passing reference in articles or newspaper columns. The current debate seems to have been ignited by two factors; firstly, the prospect of a new front in militantancy and extremistism in southern Punjab due to the undercurrents which have been felt for long. Secondly, the people party seeing the growing hold of thePML(N) in Punjab, wants to balance it out by uniting the people of southern Punjab on this new demand, because people party enjoys the majority political support in southern Punjab. Thus a consensus seems to be developing between the PPP and PML(Q), PML(F) and the PML (N) is seriously resisting the move. There have even been strains in the leadership of PML(N) , for instance the PML(N) president Javed Hashmi spoke out in support of the demand against the partyline which was immediately rebuffed by the Punjab Govet. The leadership from southern Punjab from across the political divide , like Javed Hashmi, PM Gaillani, Shah Mehmood Qasuri, Jehangir Tareen etc have joined to support this demand despite their political affiliations and partylines. Even the President and Prime Minister have given statements indicating that this issue can be discussed in the parliament and the need for reforming the constitution. The recent news of a strains between the Punjab and Sindh provinces on the water distribution is also linked to the same issue. The major reasons/ rationale given for this demand of a Siraiki Province are as follow:

a) The relative backwardness of southern punjab as compared to northern and central Punjab.
b) The hold of central/northern Punjab on power in Punjab since long.
c) The historical basis of a the Bahawalpur state which existed before partition.
d) The linguistic, cultural and economic linkages of the region

In the above backdrop a serious question has started arising in all sensible and thinking Pakhtun minds - Isn't it time the Pakhtun leadership across the political divide get together to demand a unified Pakhtun province to safeguard the interests of the Pakhtun nation. This assumes greater importance because in the new realities emerging in Pakistan there is a strengthening of positions based on colective intresets of different communities. This is exemplified by a number of new issues arising in the near past. For example, the abandoning of Kalabagh Dam by the PPP Govt to safeguard primarily the interests of Sindh was a step that the centre and Punjab was grudginly agreed. Similarly the issue of disallowing Pashtun IDPs in Sindh and Punjab to safeguard the provincial and ethnic interests and the way it was justified by the central govt as well as the mainstream media was again a proof of this emerging reality. Just as was the long march and movement for the restoration of Judiciary maily backed by Punjab and PML(N) as well as the abolition of governor rule in Punjab in March this year. The joing of hands of PPP and MQM to safeguard the interests of Sindh in the recent months despite their different political world view is another obvious manifestation of this reality. Another glaring example of this phenomenon was the long delayed military operation by the Punjab dominated army against the Taliban militants only after the Punajb heartland of Lahore/Chakwal/Islamabad was seriously threatened by the militants. The recent joining of hands in the demand for a Seraiki province is the latest example of such a reshaping of political realities in pakistan. In a recent article, " Underlying Sentiments in Militancy" which appeared in the News of June 29 Shahzad :
"The next big cataclysm too is inherent in the ongoing strife. More discernable, and finding voice with increasing frequency, is the sensitivity of the Pakhtun sentiment to this war – the Taliban largely belonging to this specific ethnic definition. Forty-three million of this great people inhabit a geographic contiguity that, based on socio-cultural disposition, appear as a monolith, though internal bifurcations with regional determinations too find traditional presence. Their struggle to survive the trends of religious militancy and armed conflict renders them acutely vulnerable. The tribes by themselves are naturally given to the comfort of the status quo, but remain susceptible to exploitable residual sentiment of alienation after such long exposure to strife and insecure existence. What influence sustains at the end of such struggle can be a matter of conjecture, but must keep the thinking minds engaged with possibilities of various fallouts – one possibility impacting existing socio-political structures. It may not be as disingenuous to suggest, then, that such socio-political awakening of a people, where long-sustaining social inertia may be ready to readjust and renew, could be more positively engaged to introduce graduated modernity in education, health, social mores and well-being of the tribal society; political variations can include repealing the FCR and mainstreaming the political process."

The above statement clearly indicates that new political structures and allignments are inevitable to emerge in the wake of the current crises in the country and probably in the wider region. So what does it suggest for us Pashtuns? The case for a united Pashtun province to do away the historic divisions and descrimination done to the pashtun nation over the last hundred years is well documented and has been under discussion on various forums for a long time. Even the international community has on a number of times acknowledged the current state of the Pashtun nation to be at the heart of the conflict in the region and many studies and articles have appeared on the subject inthe western media. The rationale for the unification of all Pashtun areas into a united and homogenous Pukhtunkhwa province is thus well documented and known. This political restructuring must not necessarily invoke a hysterical response from Punjab and the central govt. Realistically seen, this step might infact be a pre-cursor for a wider compromise and consensus among the various stake holders in the Pakistani state to live peacefully and at ease with itself and its neighbours. For example, it would be foolish to expect FATA to return to the pre 9/11 state. The FCR will have to be abolished sooner or later and a political solution found. Similarly the political fissure arising in Balochistan have to be tackled at some stage if the state of Pakistan has to go anywhere. Just like the Baloch people, the Pashtuns of Southern Pukhtunkhwa have also been at the receiving end of the proverbial stick for quite some time. In case of any future political settelment of the Baloch problem, the asperations of the Pashtun population of southern Pakhtunkhwa will also have to be addressed. Similarly the current turmoil in Malakand region will leave the region in a state unlike how it was before the militancy and subsequent military operation. The whole Pakhtun region is thus in a flux and the future political shape of the Pakhtun region is uncertain. Obviously a lot of competing factors will be at play while a new political shape of the region emerges. The role of the Pakhtun leadership in the eventual shape of the whole region is a critical one. They have the challenging responsibility of ensuring that the rights and interests of the more than 25 Pakhtun people living east of the Durand Line are safeguarded and protected. This is a sacred responsibility that they have to fulfil if they have to redeem themselves in the pages of history.

Is the current Pakhtun leadership upto this challenging task? In my humble opinion: not at all! Both the nationalist parties, ANP and PMAP are poles apart on their vision for the future of Pakhtuns of the region. Their manifestos and thinking are still mired in the cold and post cold war era. They have yet to grasp the emerging realities and the competing interests of various internal and external forces in this equation.As for as the religious parties are concerned, nothing said is better. The PPP ( Sherpao) is a one man show with no long term vision except grabbing a few seats in the national and provincial assemlies.This leaves us with the militant leadership who are neither acceptable to the majority of Pakhtuns nor to the world at large. The only hope is that the leadership of the nationalist parties come out of their comfort zone of old style sloganeering and understand that the emerging realities require a brand new approach. They have to take the lead in bringing the entire Pakhtun leadership on board, taking them in confidence about the emerging trends and evolving workable strtegies to be pursued jointly to safeguard the rights of thePukhtun populace. There is a need for political re-structuring in Pakistan- no question about that- But how is it going to effect the embattled Pakhtun nation- the answer lies with the Pakhtun leadership. Its now or never: THE TIME FOR A DEMAND FOR A UNITED PUKNTUNKHWA HAS ARRIVED-NOW

[star]

Yes we hope our Pukhtuns could get together and we have a province on the name of our Pukhtuns.
But i see that ANP the ruling party have kept silence. I dont know why?
Even they dont talk about the return of IDPs.
May be they are enjoying calculating notes received.