Pakistanis and Pukhtuns

Cross post from Alhamdolillah

I recently read an article on a bloggers community by someone who wrote nasty things about Pukhtuns (saying they are gays, pretend to be good Muslims and other such things).

I was not going to go into the details of racism because it’s not worth it but I had a big deal of it especially in Karachi. I have found for people to be disrespecting towards Pukhtun people, and the word “Khan Sahib” has become a kind of a sarcastic and cynical phrase. There are good and bad people everywhere, but generally labeling the whole tribe is not fair. Perhaps our appearance, language or culture is slightly different than the rest of the country but we still make a big part of it. We love our country. Pukhtuns have helped Pakistan with their blood many a times. Recently I came across this article.

“WE found his body parts in different parts of the compound”, recounts constable Ghulam Murtaza, a close friend and colleague of the 30-year-old Faisal Khan, pointing towards the spots. The hero was blown up to smithereens holding on to the suicide bomber who tried to enter the G-7, Islamabad special police branch on March 23. “He saved all of us, if it weren’t for what Faisal Khan did, we would have all been dead that day,” Mr Murtaza said. – Pakfellows Forums

And then I read the news about the pilot who saved the lives of school kids by dying in his jet instead of simply ejecting himself from it and letting it crash into a school when the jet encountered technical problems. – Dawn News

You can read more about it here (just scroll down and there is a lot of information collected from various sources into one place about this incident.)

Two of Nishan-e-Haider winners are Pukhtuns: Captain Karnal Sher Khan Shaheed and Havaldaar Lalak Jan Shaheed

Doctor Abdul Qadeer Khan is another Pukhtun.

Tipu Sultan was a Pukhtun too. His real name was Sultan Fateh Ali Tipu one of the bravest people in his time who was known as the Tiger of Mysore. His next in command, his right hand was Yar Mohammad a name that is still a common name among Pukhtuns. Although the source does not state his being a Pukhtun. Here you can read more about him.

There are numerous ” Khan Sahib ” jokes been passed on every day. Listen! we are all Pakistanis, we all serve this country and we are all born here. If Pukhtuns are integrating into the society, then they should be treated with the same respect as other Pakistanis, this is only fair. I’m sure the arrogant behavior of people like this is what has given birth to Pukhtunkhawah and Pukhtunistan, the dream of a separate Pukhtun country. I’m sure no Pakistani wants for them to separate as in that case MQM would separate Karachi and of course the Jirga system of Baluchistan wouldn’t take much longer to separate followed by the lawless regions of Pakistan and Kashmir, there will be no Pakistan left.

Please remember that we are all Pakistanis and we should all respect each other, especially if we have done much for the betterment of the country. It is no fable that Pukhtuns are indeed very brave.

My whole point here is that Pukhtuns are just as part of the country as all the rest, I am not saying Pashtuns do this and the rest of Pakistanis do not, there are brave and good people from each province and culture but Pukhtuns are there too and they make a difference too. I have not even begun to tell the achievements of all those people in our family, tribe and villages although I cannot forget the efforts of those students of medicine from Khyber Medical College Peshawar who collected alms and charity by hand, asking themselves going door to door after the Kashmir earthquake and then arranging for trucks and going to the wrecked place themselves and distributing help with their own hands since our political and otherwise situation can be corrupt.

The most amazing thing is I have read so many books about North Western Frontier Province by the West, and not once have I come across anything negative in them. These accusations are made by poorly educated racist people. I have come across well researched books which have their bad things in them being written by authors from a non religious Western society but nothing like the way Pakistanis themselves talk of Pukhtuns. I would recommend for the readers to read a book called “A History of Pashtun Migration” by Robert Nichols in which the Pashtun and his connection and integration into Pakistan has been well written.

As my husband says every culture has its own way, if Pukhtun men hold hands (not that I know of but some do) its a way of culture, Arab or scandinavian men kiss 3 times on each others faces or rub noses, is that gay too?

It is time for a change of attitude, we as Pakistanis have lost much due to our restricted minds, let us not lose our unity.

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