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The Pashtun and jihadi movements
Jihad was not an unfamiliar word to the Pashtuns since their ancestors had waged jihad on many occasions in the past.
The writer is a retired brigadier who has served in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Fata asad.munir@tribune.com.pk
The Pashtuns have always been at the forefront of almost all jihadi movements recorded in the subcontinent’s history. Thousands have died since the new round of jihad started in 1978. Some tribal people rose up in arms against the Saur Revolution and initiated a movement. Jihad was not an unfamiliar word to them since their ancestors had waged jihad on many occasions in the past. Independence, difficult and inaccessible terrain, tribal structure, code of Pashtunwali, badal, honour, religious fervour, possession of arms by almost each individual and so on make Pashtuns inclined towards participation in a religion-based struggle.
Pir Roshan of Kaniguram in South Waziristan, who lived in the 16th century, was against the religious customs practiced in the area. He was a strong supporter of equal rights for women. He also opposed dynastic rule and advocated that leaders should be chosen on the basis of their capabilities and not on kinship. He is credited with inventing the Pashtu script, alphabets and some grammar. However, he was an urmer (Burki), but he spoke Pashtu and all his followers were Pashtuns. Due to strong opposition from his own family, he left the area and preached in Mohmand, Charsadda and other Yousafzai and Mohmadzai areas. After Emperor Akbar came up with his concept of Din-e-Ilahi, Pir Roshan rebelled against the Mughals using Tirah (in present-day Khyber Agency) as his base. He was defeated in a battle in Nangrahar but survived. Ultimately, a Yousafzai lashkar near Tarbela killed him in 1581. His son, Jajala, assumed the leadership and fought many battles against the Mughals, killing Raja Birbal near Jamrud.
Then take the case of Rohilla, a Pashtun princely state. Syed Ahmed Shaheed was from Bareilly and may or may not have been a Rohilla Pashtun, but spoke Pashtu from his childhood. He was a trusted lieutenant of Shah Abdul Aziz, who got him trained in the army of another Pashtun, Amir Khan of Tonk. He travelled to Makkah and Madina and was influenced by the teachings of Adul Wahab. He declared India as darul harab and migrated to the Pashtun-dominated area of India via Afghanistan. Local Pashtun tribals joined him in large numbers for jihad against the Sikhs. He wanted to establish a darul Islam and spread the message of Wahabism to the Muslims of India. He fought a number of battles against Sikhs but was ultimately killed in Balakot in 1831. His followers refused to accept his death and propagated that he had hid himself and would reappear at an opportune occasion. They assembled in Satana and in 1858 the British had to launch an operation to uproot them.
In 1897, Sadullah Khan from Buner, known as the Sartor Faqir and referred to by the British as the ‘mad mullah’, organised tribes in a rebellion against the British garrison of Malakand. His followers from Bajaur, Dir, Swat and Buner were convinced that he had supernatural powers and could perform miracles. He promised the mujahideen that a hidden army was waiting behind a mountain. The moment the jihad would start, Allah would unleash this army, and all the infidels would be killed. The Ghazis would be rewarded in this world and the shaheeds would be rewarded in paradise. He was able to muster the support of more than one thousand tribals. On July 1897, the Faqir attacked Chakdara and Malakand. Due to lack of planning and non-appearance of the ‘hidden’ army, the jihadis dispersed, leaving a large number of dead, including some British. The Faqir survived and continued with his jihad in different areas until he died in 1917.
The Faqir of Ipi fought a jihad against the British for 12 years (1935-47) in Waziristan and Kamal Malikdin Khel fought against the forces of Richard Warburton in Khyber for a number of years. The recent movement of Sufi Muhammad, who captured six districts in Malakand in November 1994, forced the traffic to ply on the right, left being deemed un-Islamic. In 2001, he motivated more than 5,000 Pasthuns to fight Nato, though they fled without even firing a single round. There are other numerous examples wherein religious leaders have led the Pashtuns in jihad.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 26th, 2011.
Reader Comments (55)
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And your point is that the pashtuns are destined to remain in a state of war and mortal aggression in perpetuity? And that is relevant because?Recommend
Thanks for the information. wali of swat was also a mullah.Recommend
And in the end, they were all defeated and never saw paradise, if history is any indication.
Amen. End of story. How long this Pashtun myth is going to continue?
Pashtun will be fighting only PAK in years ahead.Recommend
well what was your Point here ? :/Recommend
Raja Birbal was killed by Yousefzias in Swat not in Tira as you mentioned.Recommend
Yousefzais were the enmies of Mughals, I don’t know why they would kill Pir Roshan.Recommend
Pashtuns are a fiercely independent nation. Brave and upright. Their modern leaders, especially those in politics, have let them down.
As for Rohilla Pashtuns, they held sway over a large area of Uttar Pradesh. They were massacred by the nawabs of Lucknow and then the British uprooted them. Many remained in Rohilkhand while others migrated to Delhi and surroundings like Gurgaon etc. They no longer speak Pashto as Urdu has become their mother tongue and are steeped in the same Delhi/UP refined culture. You will be surprised by seeing some of Rohillas who, obviously by endogamy, have maintained their fair complexion and tall stature.
Some have migrated to Pakistan while others remain in India. Those remaining in India don’t enjoy a good life and are often exposed to pogroms like those carried out by Hindu extremists in Meerut, Moradabad, and Bareilly during the 1980s and early 1990s.Recommend
Pir e Roshan….why he was called Pir- e Tarik by his oppnents?Recommend
Another stereotype about Pashtuns. Let us say all th writer says is true. But can we deny the fact that all the “jehadi movements” the writer has narrated were basically local movements for local puritanical objectives. None aimed at establishing caliphate international. On the contrary, all the Jehadi movements emanating from Punjab including Lashkar-e-Taiba, Lashkar-e-Jganghvi, Jamaatudawa etc are violent Jehadist movements having cross-border ambitions. These movements – supported by Pakistani military – aim at disrupting the international system. Therefore, the writer is correct in most of his narrative above, but he needs to extend his column to include the Punjab-based terrorist/jehadi groups which aim at disrupting the current international system and replace the same with an Islamic/Jehadi/terrorist caliphate.Recommend
is pashtun red shirt movement by khan abdul gafur khan is a jihadi movement?Recommend
Pir Roshan was a revolutionary and initiated Roshania Movement.Akbar hired a number of mullas to counter his movement.One of them was Akhwand Darwaza,who named Bayazid Ansari(real name of Pir Roshan) as Pir Tareek,meaning Pir of Darkness.Recommend
If someone wants to see beyond “Pashtun Jehadi Movements”, please read from this link http://afpak.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/01/05/salmaantaseerandpunjabsmilitantsRecommend
What is this… Why should a saint/pir/mullah be involved in war???
His business should only be restricted to God realization..not war..
When Asoka or many Indian rajas took to sainthood, they renounced wars and kingdom… If you are a ruler its your duty to protect, but a saints duty is to lead the masses to peace and Love…Recommend
Thank you sir,for giving us our identity by using the word PASHTUNS.The people of Pakistan call us PATHANS,a word used by Indians for Pashtun,subsequently picked up by the British.As per historian Farishta,the origin of this name is probably linked with Patna where the first group of Pashtun,who migrated to India,settled.
@RW,Pir Roshan was killed by Yousafzais on religious differences.The Pir had introduced Roshania Sect,which laid more. emphasis on muamilat than ibadat.He preached equal rights for woman.
@Afridi.don’t look for points in history.Recommend
Let’s put the record straight.
It is a fact that Taliban are Pakhtun but all Pakhtuns are not Taliban. Majority of Pakhtuns are against the ideology of Taliban. They consider Taliban as a curse for Pakhtun because of them their image appeared as terrorist and fundamentalist to the whole world .The Taliban is a conspiracy which is hatched against Pakhtun on a very large scale because Pakhtun will never become like the nowadays Taliban. The conspiracy of Taliban is tantamount to the genocide of Pakhtun. So called Taliban have also killed many Pakhtun which is a proof that “they” are the target of a larger conspiracy.
Pakhtuns have played an important role in the history of their region. From their community have come Muslim rulers, administrators, and soldiers. While many of them have moved out of the highlands in search of an easier life in the plains, their mountainous homeland continues to be their stronghold of strength and freedom. Though very dedicated to their religious beliefs, they are also fond of pleasure. They are known for their marksmanship and their love of honor.Recommend
No wonder the entire region is in the state of sub-human living conditions, no clean drinking water, depleted and desolate infrastructure, institutions of higher learning non existent, all in all it resembles a look of a STONE AGE ERA. It is so unfortunate for all those Pashtuns (a majority) who do not ascribe to such a misinterpreted Jihadi doctrine.Recommend
It is too much simplification of history. Events and movements mentioned in this article have different reasons and backgrounds.
People associated with Pak security establishment are very skill full in distorting history. This article is another effort to distort history. I will appreciate if Asad Munir and other retired military men like him could write about their role in supporting, training and arming religious extremists for Jihad in this part of the world.Recommend
“There are other numerous examples wherein religious leaders have led the Pashtuns in jihad.”
….. and always lost the jihadi battles. The Pashtuns are still waiting for victory promised by the Almighty for the righteous jihadis.Recommend
Good premise but no conclusion.
I could not make out the purpose of the article. I think the author wants to justify the game played with Pashtuns by the establishment of Zia Ul Haq(Batil).Recommend
every single time pushtuns blood are sold on the name jihad..Recommend
Afghanistan is one of the earliest nations in the world to join and remain in Dar al-Islam.
Pashtuns have been great warriors, whom no one could defeat. Timur to Babur to Abdali, Kabul has been the fount from which great invasions on the subcontinent have sprung and great empires have been formed. It is from Afghanistan, great dynasties have taken root to spread elsewhere.
Barring a brief period of British meddling, Afghans have never been under any colonial power. No Portuguese, No Germans, No French, no one set foot. From 750 AD, onwards, the Pashtuns in Afghans have had Islam, without interruption, as their state religion and jihad as their way of life. Russians stayed for 10 years at the ‘invitation’ of the rulers for a decade, and they were driven out, thanks to the jihad declared on the communist and anti-islamic rulers by the Mujahideens who were largely Pashtuns.
By all indicators, then, Afghanistan — with their great Pashtunwali code and Jihad to guide them — should have been a global power now; their streets should have milk and honey flowing there.
Instead they now are living still in the 7th century, while the rest of the world have marched on. No one knows if they are still part of Dar al-Islam !!
Can anyone explain if there is any correlation between Pashtun and Jihad and anarchy?Recommend
The writer is one of the a new breed of those writters who do not know what they are talking about.Recommend
I am not a historian or know how a lot of history stuff… But I’m a Pathan & being of my own cast i know that there is no such radical things which is mentioned in the article or in reality… all these are just propaganda which is normally used against Pashtuns because all around the world can’t bear Pashtuns existence and their built-in bravery,courage,talent & a lot of other by birth qualities which all other casts just jealous and try to hit them from every side when they get a chance …. being a Pathan & spending my 25 years with Pathan family i never experience such things…Currently I’m in Islamabad… where ever i go all of anti-Pathans talk Pathan,Pathan,Pathan… there big and little all are talking against them… that’s their favorite hobby all day long…All these thing proves that actually they just does not like them & all they want to do as to destroy them from every corner in their own homeland…. These are all reasons due to Pathan are now a days called Jihadis,Terrorist,Extremist….But lies never hold grounds and truth will be explored soon.Recommend
Strange article. What was the point the writer was trying to make?
Was it that the Pakhtuns are basically a savage warmongering bunch of religious fanatics?
If so, then the writer stands to be condemned for mischief making by creating a false image of a people who in reality are not prepared to bow to invaders and are presently taking on the NATO forces.
In case it escapes the writers attention, NATO is an invading force, and the Pakhtuns are resisting, as is their universal right to do so. Check International rights and obligations under the UN Charter if you are unmoved by this assertion.
Call them Taliban; Call them fundo’s; call them whatever pleases you, but the fact remains that they are within their rights to resist by any and all means, any attack on their national sovereignty.
And by the way. The first move in getting the public on your side when you decide to head of to war, is to demonise your enemy. Paint him to be the devil incarnate and a threat to your “way of life” and a threat to “national security”, and you will have the taxpayers eating out of your helmet, and eager to fund your war, no questions asked.
And yes. I am a Pakhtun.
So what?Recommend
@ARMAN please call yourself PASHTUN and not PATHAN,it is a derogatory word used by people of other provinces in jokes against our great race.The writer has glorified Pashtun leaders who fought against all occupational forces.We have a history of which we should be proud,the others have only Ilam DIN who killed one man and his name is in every book, while nobody, probably you also, may not be knowing,Umra Khan,Kamal Malikdinkhel,Powinda Mulla,Faqir of Ipi,Kamal of Mardan and countless others.Recommend
@Omar Yousaf the writer has narrated historical events of jihad wherein Pashtun took arms against the aggressors.You may not be knowing the writer,he is the best specimen of a Pashtun i have ever come across in life.Recommend
I would rathar call it another piece of STERYOTYPING of pashtoon by an ex inttllegence officer of pakistan( Punjabistan) as he himself involved to systemitically trnasform the pashtoon nationalistic sentiments and grievences into an ISLAMIC JIHAAD to use pashtoon against the enemies of punjabies in the region and also internationally with the collabaration of wahabi saudia arabia.Recommend
I grew up in Pashtun household and never heard of all this “jihad” stuff.
Warfare is common in history of nations, the writer’s depiction of Pashtuns can be applied to many other ethnicities.Recommend
Can you all Columnists, Writers, Syed Ahmed Sahids and Sufi muhmammads, and Pakistani Army all all actors just spare Pukhtuns and just leave them alone for at least 1000 years. They do not want to fight war, they want to go to school now. They are tired of all these Jihads and Wars, Can you people just spare them, Please.Recommend
@Shez:
My goodness! Rohillas – fierce – independent- tall- handsome ! That is why Taliban occupies chairs in history in all the universities in Pakistan. As if one Bangladesh was not enough ! It will finally end on a happy note when all the tall-virile men turn into poor wage labourers and overthrow the system with its religious/racial superstitions.Recommend
@writer: Where you will place Bacha Khan’s Khudai Khidmatgar movement? when Pukhtuns consciously switched to the Non-Violent Movement under the leadership of Bacha Khan?? Pukhtuns are just like every other human beings and they want to live just normal life if you people just leave them alone.Recommend
The writter has been introduced as ‘The writer is a retired brigadier who has served in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Fata ‘ with out giving more details about him as he was the chief of ISI in Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa and mainlly working with CIA for about few years.so you cant expect any independent view from the writter especially regarding Pashtoons and Afghaninstan which have been used as strategic and stirking force by pakistan security establishment.Recommend
Pashtuns are extremely brave, selfless yet gullible people. They have a heart of Gold like that of a kid that can be molded in any direction. Pasthun’s need a leader that can take them away from the code of PASTHUNWALI and REVENGE and WAR….
KARMA catches up with everyone, you spread hate you get hate….
Pasthuns are LOVED in INDIA.. infact they are the most progressive and loved community in INDIA as compared to other more conservative muslim communities.
How did the Pasthun’s manage to become the most progressive and modern community amongst muslims in India, yet they remained tribal in Pakistan???
Its becasue the Pakistani Army and Governments used Pasthun’s for their gains, Pasthuns selfless and braveheart has been used by Paksitani Hukmaraan… Pasthuns have been made the Bali Ka Bakra and now Pakistani Army is playing Bakreedi on them for a few billion dollars to bail them….is pashtun blood so cheap?
Shame for ruining such great people the Pashtun’s…Recommend
Comprehensive and concreteness information by writer in this pieceRecommend
Why is the Brigadier so keen on proving that the Pushtuns are only good for fighting senseless wars in the name of religion? Is he afraid of characterising some of these movements as being aimed against domination by ousiders, even if of the same religious persuation?
Is the Brigadier afraid that the Pushtun would sooner or later see through the manipulation?Recommend
Thank you for the history lesson Munir Sahab. As a Pushtun myself I would like to say that neither are we warriors not do we have any extra urge to wage jihad. Given the choice we would much rather get educated and live in peace.Recommend
I wonder why some commenters see the words on ethenic grounds. Why they forget that Army, Govt, ISI etc are all second to ONE who is above the skies. Nothing is happeinng on the earth without HIS plans. Why we see our hardships a result of others brainchild. Why we are in the ethenic race that leaded us nowhere. Why we see someone progress / retreat on his/her ethnic grounds.
Why we forget if Pashtuns have been suffering from war, there are millions punjabis/sindhis/balochis who are suffering from injustice and poverty. Every group in this country have had a hard time depends on their strategic location and circumstances.
Have you ever listen an American or British talking or fighting of being a Maxican or Floridan.
Ethnic discussion yields us nothing but ruine.Recommend
Someone needs to tell the writer that pushtun’s historically have been liberals and independant but they were never hate mongers or extremists. the major portion of the last century is marked by the predominantly democratic leftist movement in Pushtun areas of Pakistan and all over Afghanistan and it was largely non violent- (I am surprised how can Brigadier forget the towering figure of Bacha Khan). This soil has produced poets like Ghani Khan and Amir Hamza Shinwari who always preached love for humanity and opposed hatred based on religion. That movement culminated in success at least temporarily in Afghanistan were a Pushtun Poet Noor Muhammad Tarakai led the post Saur Revolution Afghanistan-only afterward the deadly virus of mercenary propelled Wahabi jihad created in CIAs lab with funding of Saudis was injected via Pakistani military and mullahs into this region. So this ugly Wahabi jihad and it’s dirty hate based ideology was never a part of fabric of Pushtun society or culture.Recommend
@Kanishka:
there is no projudice to your comments however you are mixing two different faith with different social order and belives.Recommend
@John:
John you must read history only than you shall be privy to Pashtun facts Vs fiction. Paradise or no paradise is not the concern. what is significant is that to defend to the last drop of blood in your body, what must one believe and what must one hold dearer to its sole and body. May it be the land or the country, tribe, or their values last but not the least the faith. Pashtun though i am not a Pashtun will defend it…. they will defend it at all cost when faced with any or all kind of adversaries. May it be the Mongols, or the Alexander, may it be the British or the communists or last of all the NATO… will have no other option but to go back to the home countries….. Soon or sooner… the areas once dominated by the Pashtuns is known as the round about of the world, where conquerors and come and go no one stays….. Only people stayed back were the Muslims…..that too not as conquerors to subjugate but as transformers…. to liberate… such are the people of this race…Recommend
@Kanishka:
@Baryal Utmanzai:
Very dramatic…. such sympathy with the Pashtuns, just read how this all come about in the region… Pakistan army need to defend the country and the people lets not have second thought about it… along with its people who are part of it including Pakhtuns and Kashmiries…… so there is revolt like in Naga land, Manipur & Mizuwaram in India, what do you think Kashmiries blood is cheap, since it suits India so the independence movement must be killed…. And the stooges and implants in KPK the agents must be spared…. Pakhtuns are diehard and nationalist Pakistani no one can change that fact….. I know a number of Pashtuns migrated from India to Pakistan… they still have a number of relatives in India…. There condition is precarious and ridiculous…… yes some might be progressing likes of Khans in the Bolliwood……Recommend
Pukhtunwali and Mullaism are two separate ideologies, with Hujra and Jumaat as their separate, opposing power centres. Pukhtuns fight for their rights, not for imposing their will on others. The writer seems to be presenting Mullah instigated wars as Pukhtun wars, and therefore presenting selected pieces from history, to portray that Pukhtuns have always fought for mad mullahs. No. Pukhtuns will always reject mullaism which is another form of imperialism and doing away with Pukhtunwali. So, either you turn all Pukhtuns into Mullahs and change their entire mental make altogether (which is impossible),or Pukhtuns are going to turn on the mullah, no matter what intellectuals like you say.Recommend
like many others i am also confused what the writer wants to say. Anyway whatever his intention, the impression I get is this article is about “a sample of violent history of religion of peace”Recommend
What exactly is the piont of this article??Recommend
This article is an exercise in stereotyping a particular people. The Afghan style of warfare is classical guerrilla art. Comparison can be made to the tribal Sheikhs of Yemen. Yemen has also never been conquered despite the might of the Ottoman Turks. To some extent, the Gorkhas of Nepal can also be included in this list. Most of the great conquerers of the world are either people of the cities or the people of the savannas. These people cannot fight against the people of the mountains. The people of the mountains are more used to the tough conditions and the level of oxygen in the atmosphere in those regions. Then again, the definition of a war is different for different people. In the book, the Ghost Wars, the author describes the devastation caused by the Soviet helicopter gunships to the Mujahideens. It was the introduction of the Stinger missiles that turned the tide. Actually, the Soviets were more successful than the present Americans. They controlled most of the Afghan territory, but economic difficulties forced them to retire. The glorification of the war tactics of a group of people who were predominantly secular till the 1970s have turned the majority of a tribe into extremists. It has caused the destruction of Afghanistan. The Pashtuns need more schools and industry. Glorification of violence begets more violence.Recommend
@ I A Rana
You say “Pakhtun condition is precarious and ridiculous in India”…
This is the most bizzare thing I have heard from anybody….
First:
Out of all Muslim communities in India, Pashtuns are the most literate and modern.
I hail from lucknow, majority of Lucknow, Malihabad, Fatehpur mango orchards are owned by Afridi’s , there kids attend high end schools and colleges such as St Agnes Loreto, LaMarts, St Francis, Colvin Talukdars etc and I have had many friends myselves..
Everywhere you will go you will see Pashtun’s standing out in a crowd of Muslims…they are talented , they are energetic, they are adaptable and extremely Jovial …
Second:
Muslims typically in India and elsewhere tend to live in 1-3 km radius of a mosque, this is what one calls as Ghettos. Infact this is why there is a saying “Mullah ki daud masjid tak”. Muslms choose to live in similar ghettos in France/UK/US and elsewhere as well. Nobody forces them to stay in these ghettos. Muslims choose to live seperate from the Kuffar. They feel more comfortable amogst their Ummah. My muslim friend has said this to me himself. As far as rental is concerned, even I as a Hindu meat eater find it hard to find a house for rent in India since 40% indians are vegetarians and such landlords put a precondition that I should not cook meat at home, some even refuse to rent if they get to know that I am a meat eater. Muslim being a natural meat eater will never be entertained by such landlords. It has nothing to do with Muslims or Hindus. Its to do with Meat eating . Secondly, with the rise of terrorism , in general people are sceptical renting to muslims they dont know, I am sure that happens in pakistan too.
Third:
Kashmiri’s are not used as pawns by the Indian government to fight a proxy war in Pakistan…Rather Pakistan is using Kashmiri’s and Pakhtun’s in the name of Jihad to fight against India/Russia/Nato.
Know one thing for sure, if you think Pakistan deserves Kashmir just because it is a muslim majority state then you have a 1947 retrogade ideology. It wont hapen again.
Stop inciting kashmiri muslims, you wil be doing favour to them :).
By the way your name “Rana” is definitely of Rajput Origin….can you tell me the history of your conversion?Recommend
oops pressed enter without finishing
anyway as i was saying – a pustun would be targetted with peghor (taunts) by his whole tribe for not taking a revenge to the limit where he would either take revenge or live in shame all his life (not the pushtun way)
if the americans or for that matter any invader should ever understand this important relation of peghor and badal – they would see that its not just the taliban – but many thousands other pushtun who will have had peghor from their friends and family for sitting idle while the amrecanian invade his country and thus they must respond to the ‘call to arms’ – and that is why they have always been a warring tribe and have arisen for movements whether jihadi or for tribal identity
as for those who compare the pushtun areas with the west and talk about there being no clean water or terrible living conditions – it is unfair to judge these people with your gauge. you’ve taken hundreds of years to come to where you are – allow these some time and they will be there too – look at the more developed areas like mardan and swabi – in my village in swabi we have internet and the younger generation is so much more informed and civilised – even though the yousafzais have been one of the most powerful tribes amongst the pushtuns, today in these lower areas, public possession of arms is considered foolishness in contrast to waziristan perhaps – with time things will be fine – until then interference will mean warRecommend
@kanishka – just read your last post – thank you – i thought living in india would be difficult for muslims – but having read your post and restrictions over renting a house because of eating habits and the ease with which you happily say they are comfortable living in their ghettos is an eye opener and I am so thankful that we have Pakistan.
as for kashmir – pakistan has always had one purpose – allow the UN resolution to be implemented and the fate of kashmir be decided according to the wishes of Kashmiris – unfortunately the Hindustani state has not allowed this – and this is where Hindustan is wrong – simples ;)Recommend
@Omar Khan
allow the UN resolution to be implemented and the fate of kashmir be decided according to the wishes of Kashmiris – unfortunately the Hindustani state has not allowed this – and this is where Hindustan is wrong – simples ;)
Mr Khan, it seems you are used to parroting the Pakistani line without ever bothering to find out about the UN resolutions. Here is what the resolution of August 13,1948 proivides.
As the presence of troops of Pakistan in the territory of the State of Jammu and Kashmir constitutes a material change in the situation since it was represented by the Government of Pakistan before the Security Council, the Government of Pakistan agrees to withdraw its troops from that State.
The Government of Pakistan will use its best endeavour to secure the withdrawal from the State of Jammu and Kashmir of tribesmen and Pakistani nationals not normally resident therein who have entered the State for the purpose of fighting.
Pending a final solution, the territory evacuated by the Pakistani troops will be administered by the local authorities under the surveillance of the commission.
http://www.jammu-kashmir.com/documents/jkunresolution.html
Now that you know who is in violation of the resolution, shall we say, not so ‘simples’ perhaps.Recommend
Paraphrasing noted Punjabi writer and intellectual Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi: “I am ashamed of being a member of such an ethnic/linguistic entity which has never fought an invader but always welcomed him with open arms”.
The British invaded Afghanistan 3 times but lost each time. The USSR lost as well and now its the turn of Uncle Sam.
Pashtoons are a proud and fiercely independent nation who have fought and defeated every single invader. Yes we do have a militancy problem but its prevalent in whole Pakistan from Baluchistan (Balochistan Liberation Army), to Sindh (MQM), to Punjab (Jaish-e-Muhammad, Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Punjabi Taleban, and perhaps many others) to Kashmir (insert name your favourite Kashmir- based jihadi movment funded and supported fully by ISI/Army till a few years back).
And lets not forget that the seeds of extremism sown in the pashtoon region were with the full help, support and funding of the west in general and the CIA and ISI in particular.Recommend
I am amazed at the lack of mental abilities of the so called educated people, who have commented on this piece, (educated because they can read).The writer has narrated the history of Jihad in the sub continent in a precise and eloquent way.His point is that Pashtun has been part of all jihads waged in the subcontinent.Even Syed Ahmed,who lived in Baraily had to choose the land of Pashtun to establish his imaginary Khilafat.Those who are asking what is the point of this piece?well what is the point of reading history?At least i have been educated by this brief,to the point and precise article.I would like to know more about Pashtuns.He has written on jihadi movement so where does Khudai Khidmatgar fits in?He has also given some of the reasons as to why Pashtuns take up arms. Asad Sahib,very few people could cover such a vast subject in so few words.Please ignore these ignorant people and write more on Pashtuns.Recommend
Until lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter”Recommend
@ Baryal”The writer seems to be presenting Mullah instigated wars as Pukhtun wars, and therefore presenting selected pieces from history, to portray that Pukhtuns have always fought for mad mullahs.Would you like to quote some events from history wherein some KHAN has led an armed movement against occupational forces.Khushal Khan Khattak being an exception.Faqir Of Ipi,Sartor Mulla,Powinda Mulla,Pir Roshan,Akhund mulla,Tarangzai molana and many more.Just name one Khan to prove asad sahib wrong,though you have not been able to comprehend the article.You have not made an effort to understand what the writer intended to convey,that Pashtun have been part of all Jihadi movements fought in the subcontinent.You should give some point to prove him wrong.Recommend
@mind control – (lol – are you a super hero or something?)
It would be a lovely situation for Bharat, if Pakistan withdraws from the small liberated area of Kashmir and India moves in there wouldn’t it? And we’re to believe that bharat has any true intent to actually decide the fate of Kashmiris according to their own will?
Be realistic, Bharat has never shown any such intention. Instead in 1987 Bharat moved towards Siachin. With such malicious intentions, no one would ever believe bharat doesn’t intend on putting kashmiris into ghettos like the other muslims in their comfortable ghettos around their mosques in India.
and use your real name so I have some idea about where you hail fromRecommend
I just realised – with names like Mind Control – Mystique – i think we have a lot of X-men fans on this forum :)Recommend