Ethnic plurality has been muffled by the sprawling construct of the state.
ZHOB: In Pakistan, ethnic minorities are steeped in an identity crisis. They were made to feel inferior since this country was created. Even after the debacle of Dhaka, the chapter of injustices was not closed. All ethnic minorities in the fledgling Muslim state, from Muhajirs — who migrated for the cause of Pakistan — to the Baloch, the Pashtuns, the Seraiki and other tribal people are still in the quest to assert their identities within this nation-state even after all these years.
Ethnic plurality has been muffled by the sprawling construct of the state, which is trying to achieve absolute uniformity across geography — a unified culture, without the colour of variety. The state is trying to achieve this through language policies, development policies and employment policies. These measures are fostering resentment within ethnic minorities in the country, which are then externalised as security issues.
Najeeb Kakar
Published in The Express Tribune, May 18th, 2014.
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