“Pakistan needs to stop treating Afghanistan as its fifth province and let the Afghans develop a political awareness on their own,” Arif Afghani of the Afghan Revolutionary Organisation said on Thursday.
He was speaking at the first Pakistan-Afghanistan Progressive Parties Conference in Lahore, organised by the Labour Party, Awami Party and the Workers Party.
The two-day conference was attended by members of four parties of Afghanistan.
Afghani, a high school teacher in Kabul, said that the general public in Afghanistan was concerned about the US leaving their country, as the warlords were the only option they saw. “However, if the foreign presence and influence in Afghanistan ends and people are allowed to be independent, they will make better choices,” he said. He said the people of Afghanistan were now better prepared to deal with extremists.
Malalai Joya, a former Afghan parliamentarian and a human rights activist, said that the Afghans had three enemies; the warlords, the Taliban and the occupation forces. Joya said that the so called war on terror had made Afghanistan a safe haven for terrorists. Regarding the status of women in Afghanistan, Joya said it had worsened. She said rape cases and honour killings had increased, and access to basic healthcare was still a luxury.
Another women’s rights activist and member of the Solidarity Party of Afghanistan said that there had been an increase in suicide by women in Afghanistan.
Participants of the conference agreed that Pakistan and Afghanistan had common enemies. Party leaders opposed allowing Nato supplies to Afghanistan through Pakistan, but stressed the need for trade between the two countries.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 23rd, 2011.
COMMENTS (24)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
We'll stop treating you as the 5th province once you kick out all the indians and all other enemies of Pakistan from your country. Until there is an indian in your country, we will still be interfering in Afghanistan to protect our national security.
lol @ Kumail. Your country was created a slave, and will remain a slave. Us Afghans may be occupied now but we will resist them as we always have. No chaudry slave here, keep that on your side of the Durand
we have rocks and mountains and we resist. you have nuclear bombs, still a slave
@antanu: It now grows a bit stale my friend - regardless of the name, it isn't your country. Hindustan is a name that outsiders used (Persian in origin) and is currently used only in movies and politics. Bharat is as ancient as any other name like Aryavarta. But I agree that modern India is a result of British rule (as is Pakistan for that matter) - and hence we retained the name despite its non-Indian origins.
@Jack: India was never a country. It was divided into many small states having their own laws.Infact India never existed. It was Bharat.At first we must decide what is the name of our country...it is India, Bharat or Hindustan. Pakistan, at least, has no such dilemma.
@chandran: Wow its a revealation.....but why only pakistan....add bangla desh also. It is regrettable that most of us Indians have so far not come to the term that India was devided some 65 years ago and that nothing can change it now.
Afghan gov refused to recognize Pakistan in 1947, on grounds that majority of Pakistan was Afghan territory before British took it and started administering it as part of British India(Sorry Indians, your claim that entire Pakistan has always been a Indian territory is false, borders have changed many times in ancient and recent history). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DurraniEmpire1747_AD.png Afghans also claim that Durand Line is obsolete after 100 years, border is unmarked too, tribal’s have family ties on both sides and millions of Afghans live in Pakistan (Both with Afghan and Pakistani citizenship cards), there are more Pashtuns living in Pakistan than Afghanistan (although they makeup half of its polulation), and almost all every day necessities for Afghanistan go through Pakistan. If Pakistan treats them with respect (Which I doubt) as brothers, there is nothing wrong in a union of some sorts (maybe similar to United Arab Emirates or EU) based on mutual respect. It will help both countries.
whats wrong if afghanistan become 5th province it would be a better option. lots of afghanis are pakistanis nic holders living across the deudrand line then why not rub this artificial line and let brothers rejoin and rejoice. think with simplicity in mind leaving harsh political and national jargon out of the mind for one moment, it sounds most sensible.
@INdian I agreed.
@Zeeshan: Pls ignore my misguided compatriots. Pakistan was part of undivided India and has equal stake to our combined history in the pre-partition era. At the same time, you do need to revise your history lessons - India has never been anyone's province - neither Hindu nor Muslim. Delhi has played host to large empires controlled by the Muslim rulers for extended periods of time, and several smaller Hindu kingdoms were conquered and declared vassal states - not overthrown and replaced with Muslim rulers (it's a big country, you know). Further, the Marathas, Travancore, Vijayanagara, the Sikh kingdom etc were strong non-Muslim kingdoms which were not under Muslim suzerainty. A very large part of the population was therefore always ruled directly by Hindus, many of whom owed allegiance to far-away Muslim rulers during the period of 1400 - 1700 (before this only Sindh, Delhi and parts of the Gangetic belt were ruled by Muslim dynasties). After 1707, several sections broke free and declared their independence.
@Noor:
How about making Iran the sixth?
@Zeeshan: 1) Using the very same logic Pakistan did not exist before 1947. Infact the very name Pakistan came into existence some where around 1940! 2) Also do you know where 'Harappa and Mohenjodaro' exist? And which civilization they belong to and how old they are? If you text books don't teach you that kindly find the same on 'Google' and educate yourself. India = a country with its genesis from 'The Indus Valley Civilization'.. 3) After having gone through 'Google' ask yourself this question - Is there any thing as such in reality called 'The ideology of Pakistan'? 4) Should Pakistan actually define itself as the 'Islamic Republic of Pakistan' sitting right on top of the remnants of the oldest civilization of the world which gave rise to India!?
@Zeeshan...take some medicines for your mind or throw the history books you have read...First time the word Pakistan was used in 1940...so, stop living in dreams.
@Proud khan Is not it Ayub khan was Hazarewal he was from small village in Hari pur Hazara no too far my village called Hariana. so he was hazarewall pathan.
@Tony Singh: Then stop searching your lost territories.
@Zeeshan: Well before 1764 it was India. Ask Vasco-De-gama and Colombus!
Afghanistan is not the fifth province, but it is definitely the 52nd state of the United States of America. Unlike Afghanistan, Pakistan is not an occupied country. Please realize this as well.
@Chandran,
Did somebody forget to tell you "India" was a British "province" until 1947..so how did you rule Pakistan then? Using your logic, I would like to add, before 1764, "India" was a Muslim's "province". Extending your logic again, before 1764, "India" was a "Pakistan's" province.
Then Afghanistan is the province of India!!
Please deport all the afghanis out of Pakistan and please stricken the border area so they stop pouring in and sell weapons and drugs!!! Pakistan First!!
affcourse afghanistan is not pakisthan fifth province but here once should remember the entire pakisthan was indian province before august 1947
As per Islamic brotherhood, there are no boundaries between Muslims; rather the entire world is Allah's land, why make Afghanistan the fifth province?
As a Pathan with proud nationalistic feelings, i can't help but wonder that full potential of Pathans can only be realized in Pakistan. Most of Pakistan Army's top ranks are dominated by Khans. the country's best leader to date (Ayub Khan) was Pathan and not to mention the senior positions held by pathans in various firms across Pakistan. Also we are by far the most beautiful group of people in Pakistan
Pakistanis does not want Afghanistan its 5th province.We want to see them an independent country where there is peace and people are happy and prosperous. We just dont like to see Afghan land be used against Pakistan. US drones fly from Afghanistan and spy on Pakistan,Iran,China and Russia.Afghan land is still being used against neighbours.
That is well said... I respected Malalai Joya in the beginning but now she is saying the most retarted things ever. Health Care Luxury? The mortality rate went up from 42 to 65 in one decade, now name me a nation that has achieved this... Foreign forces as occupation forces? That is why majority of Afghans want the American's to stay beyond 2014.... Women are being more respected than ever before.... This women hardly even spends her time now a days in afghanistan, she goes around the world spreading her own ideology that actually favors the enemies of Afghanistan...