THE CORE ISSUE OF PUKHTOONS? IS IT A CASE OR A PROBLEM?

Before I embark on the real issue that I am being asked quite often I would like to quote few words of Bacha khan to make it easier for myself to convey my opinion.
“It was probably 1975 our political friends of, Pukhtoons Socialist Democratic Party Germany invited us to attend a conference on; “PUKHTOON AS A MAN”. Few Nobel Prize winners were attending it. I thought it would be a good idea if I seek some guidelines from Bacha khan. I came from England to see him and explained him the purpose of my visit. He asked; how much was the air fair? I said £90=0. He took a deep sigh and said,” You wasted that money. You should have given to some poor Pukhtoons.” He further added,” you haven’t understood my philosophy. I am against this slogan,” Pukhtoon as a man or as tribe.” This is the slogan of our enemies, our slogan and struggle is for Pukhtoons as a nation. Then a deep sigh,” I hope and pray that you all understand what I stand for in my life time?”
My youngster is usually asking, what is the REAL BIG PROBLEM of Pukhtoons as a Nations. My answer is unambiguous and clear. Pukhtoons have a lot of problems to face but they have no solution unless they win one case, which they have put on ice for the last three hundred years. That is Unity with historical identity. That is the establishment of Pukhtoons Independent Home Land.
Unless this divided and fractured nation is brought in one Administrative Unit and they are accepted the Master of their own land, none of their problems can be solved. I am ready to go the extent, that if we were colonized in one administrative unit. I would prefer it 100 times to the present state; a fractured Pukhtoon Physical Body; divided in 7 administrative units. I think that later if we rise we will rise as a nation. To me total slavery is acceptable in unity than partial slavery in disunity. The enemies of Pukhtoons did this. It served their purposes. To create different objective conditions for different parts of Pukhtoons, to have a different out look to their problems. The injury inflicted in any one part, the other part does not feel the pain. The pieces of physical body have some time antagonistic attitude to one problem. This disintegration of the physical body has destroyed single national feeling, pain, voice, thinking and outlook. All our problems stems, from this “one” single factor.
Thinking over it for the last 40 years of my political struggle; every passing day strengthens my conviction more. We are trying to alleviate the symptoms of the disease but don’t treat the disease. Our case is lying in the court of history unheard, we as a nation damn care to present it to the judge, “The Time.” It is imperative that we our process of thinking and goal should be one. We must accept boldly that we are slaves of the slaves and slaves have no rights, even in Islam. What ever we are being given is a political bribe, not as our right. Unless and until; we have an independent entity as a nation in this global village we deserve no rights. Irrespective of political affiliation we must generate a process of national thinking. This main responsibility lies on our intellectuals, writers, intelligentsia, civil bodies and artists. We must not forget that after the defeat at the hands of Ranjeet Singh; we never got our independence back. Like a commodity; one master to other passed us on. I fail to understand why revenge was not taken or even considered?
Let us take the present blood let; its source is the Durand Line. I don’t have to explain it. It is for the readers to think honestly and precisely over it or convinces me to the contrary. This was my request to the present provincial government before they were made to sit on the dump of gunpowder. I appealed to them to put aside all developmental schemes but try to change the process of thinking. You have not be elected to govern but to finish and unfinished mission. People of the calibre of Afrasiab Khattak, who is being considered the brain and think tank of the government, has gone frozen and numb.
Unless the frequency of thinking is not the same in Peshawar, Kabul, Quetta and Qandahar, nothing can be achieved. It is all white wash in White House.
Why it cannot be achieved? This is a million dollar question. This question must be answered firmly, bluntly but politely, without fear or care that it will upset a section of the society. The counter question to this question is that why the Islamists parties failed to establish Islam, in a single Muslim state. The answer to this is simple that all parties have deviated from the path of Islam and have developed their own sectarian Islam. Their sectarian attitude is so strong that they don’t pray together and dubbing each other infidel. The sectarian attitude is eating up the basis of Islam like maggots.
The same disease has infected the nationalists irrespective of borders. Our Pukhtoon leadership has developed sectarian attitude to Pukhtunwali. Each one has own brand and hit each other more harshly and brutally, than the real enemies. They are fighting for the leadership. Our intellectual and writers are writing sacred book for each school of thought. They are equally responsible in this sin. If some one has played any positive role, they are our artists. They all deserve to be commended, and the others to be condemned. This is the biggest stumbling block in the advancement of our national aspirations and to reach logical goal, resulting in, that the Pukhtoons on the west of Durand Line are suffering even when they are in majority and on the East they are suffering as they are in minority. We can call them nationalist Mullahs. Why not? Is there any difference in the two species?
It is not necessary that slaves have to be in chains. Colonization could be economical, cultural, lingual, mental, historical or physical occupation. Can I ask what do we have? Have we not been robbed of every thing on both sides of the Durand line?
What else has to be done by the enemy, to make us realize that we are not slaves? What is holding our leaders back? This is another a million dollar question. It must be answered. As one the poet said;
“KA PA JARA AO PA NARO SHEE KHO JANAN BA ZA RAZA KAM
KA KHBARA DA PUKHTO SHEE NO JANAN ZAMA NA PATE”
This is the best explanation. Their special brand of Pukhtunwali is holding them back, to unite Pukhtoons. This is the actual deviation, called selfishness or “ANANIAT”.
As Islam has been completed 1400 years ago but it is still disputed by sectarian mullahs, so is Pukhto by these nationalists Rahibs. It is the time to speak loudly and clearly. Instead of pointing fingers to others we need self-analysis, re reading our selves and revising our priorities. Otherwise we have no to morrow.

BY PROF. (DR) KHURSHID ALAM
khurshidalam5@hotmail.com
Dated 17th October 2009.