PukhtunWomen

By Dr Adalat Khan

There is nothing worse, or more pathetic, than to see the whole Pukhtoon nations standing aside and wringing their collective hands over the death and destruction of their fellow brethrens either by bigoted extremists or mercenary forces. The whole Pukhtunkhwa is under fire and it would seem that if sense and sensibility did not visit the minds of Pukhtoons the whole race will be erased. This is not exaggerating because many strong nations who once ruled the world do not exist today and have only become part of the forgotten history. Babylonians, Romans, Byzantine are just a few examples of civilizations which were wiped out and do not exist today.

Is that a destiny the Pukhtoons wish to embrace? If the answer is yes then this article will lose its utility. But let us hope that the same nation which was once the envy of the world will regain its dignity if not earlier glory. The task is tough but not impossible provided there is a collective struggle towards this end. No one can change the conditions of Pukhtoons but themselves. In the Holy Quran, Allah says that He does not change the conditions of a people unless they make efforts to change these themselves. The time to change our conditions is now because now are the worst conditions we as a nation face. After the last Pukhtoon King Ibrahim Lodhi (whose kingdom was taken over by Mughals in 1562), Pukhtoons have seen the worst of oppressions, colonialism, wars and destructions. However, off and on they managed to bounce back either by consistently fighting their enemies, or regaining back their sovereignty from occupying forces. Today however, this regal race has once again been pushed and cornered, and this sliding backward will prove fatal. The one and only option available to Pukhtoons is to move forward and unite. Unity is not only needed but it is our survival and if we do not grab this opportunity we will go down in the annals of history attributed with the worst words of defeat and failure.

There are great dangers because not only have the great devils brought the battle to our door steps, but alas we are fighting among our selves. A New Great Game is being played where the only obstacles seen are Pukhtoons and conditions are orchestrated to wipe out this race so there is a free flow of oil from the Caspian Sea to the Gwadar port and onward to the West. In “The New Great Game”, written by Lutz Kleveman, he gives us a fearless, insightful and exacting portrait of a new battleground in the violent politics and passion of oil: Central Asia, known as the "black hole of the earth" for much of the last century. The Caspian Sea contains the world’s largest amount of untapped oil and gas resources. It is estimated that there might be as much as one hundred billion barrels of crude oil in the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan alone. And to transport this resource all obstacles must be removed at all costs including the annihilation of the Pukhtoon race.

Division into different parties, sects, tribes, and schools of thought is only offering ammunition to our enemies to wipe us out. What is needed is unity. It is ironic to see that the big Khans who sing the songs of Pukhtoon unity have not united us but further divided us. Our youth have joined extremist groups because the Khans have discriminated them, divided and ruled them, and in some instances forced even to vote against their will. Some of these Khans who even give long lectures on Pukhtoon unity have the blood of poor Pukhtoons on their hands. Shame on them, because the Pukhtoons are now at a stage where if not reversed they will face total and definite destruction.

For unity’s sake the following are some of the steps which need to be immediately implemented: All Pukhtoons including people of the whole province as well as the tribal area must come together. We need to put aside our political affiliations or linguistic proficiency and must once and for all realize that disunity equals destruction. There is a need for a collective dialogue with the government as well as the so called Pro Taliban elements. Consultation or Jirga is not only part of the Pukhtoon culture but at the heart of Islam. We need to iron out all our differences, whether between the Pro-Taliban or the people or the government. Common ground should be found as the destruction of any of the three parties is the destruction of all. Instead of wasting time on futile and minute arguments as to what should be the ring tone of a mobile phone or how high should the shalwar be hanging above the ankles etc. people as well as government must focus on development activities. Health, education, employment and entrepreneurship should be spurred as these are the root causes which have enraged people into doing the things which we see these days.

It is also the duty of every Pukhtoon to see that Pakistan remains intact as a country and counter all elements which are bent on destruction be they inside or outside. We must give up the retreat mentality but expand our influence throughout the country as well as the world. Extremism, ignorance, media assault on our image are some of the enemies which we need to confront. Being a freedom loving, secular, and Islamic minded people we must get rid of these menaces before the destroy us. Pukhtoons have seen the best of times as well as the worst of times.

Today, Pukhtoons are at a crossroads and defining moment of their identity and survival. Extremism, international conspiracy to vanquish them, and the lack of great leadership to steer them out of trouble are just a few of the myriads of problems faced by our brave people.

There are only two options left to us -first being destruction, which has found us, and the second being survival which we must seek. If we do not opt for the second one then it is almost certain that we will become part of a forgotten history. A history where the members of the community were utterly disunited, too caught up in the pursuit of self interests and personal power, too reliant on others to do their work and to fight their wars. These signs of danger warn us of the destruction of our society, the loss of identity and a decline in resolve that in times past had ensured both the survival of society and its continued existence. Unity among Pukhtoons and the people of the NWFP and Tribal Areas is the need of the hour as without unity we have no other options. So let us unite and rise to the occasion and save our land, our identity, our faith and the destiny of our present and future generations.

Dr Adalat Khan is an international columnist who is based in Malaysia and can be reached at dradalat@gmail.com