Pashtunistan- Another Bangladesh in making?

 


If we go by the recent circular of Army Public school, speaking Pashto could attract a fine of up to 50/- or could lead you in serious trouble as speaking Pashto has been strictly prohibited within the school premises. Surprisingly, this has happened to the population whose mother-tongue has been Pashto and who have been residing in the belt since time immemorial. 
  
There’s more to it than what meets the eyes, the army’s forcible occupation of people’s homes, unnecessarily harassing people at the check post, molestation of women and abduction of locals by the Pakistan army has become run-of-the-mill lately. The incessant killings by the Taliban and the army under its guise is also bearing significant issues for the people of KPK.
 

 Deepening fault lines

  

From early on, the issue of language was a difficult one. Since its inception, the founding leader of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, emphasized on the significance of Urdu and for the years thereafter, the ruling governments paid particular attention only to the Urdu speaking population. The seeds sowed then reaped fruits in 1971 when language turned out to be a prominent reason for the partition of East-Pakistan. The Urdu-only policy aimed to create a single identity out of two culturally distinct regions united by a common religion- Islam. More broadly, it aimed to consolidate the national identity of the recently independent Pakistan. Interestingly, the declaration was followed by the banning of Bengali books, songs and poetry by Bengali Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore. Bangla language as the medium of education and primary mode instruction was also banned. 
  
Mass uprising
 

 

The efforts to “Islamize” East Pakistanis and “purify” Bengali culture resulted in massive nonviolent demonstrations and strikes then like it has been happening now. In the times when social media has become an indispensable tool in the hands of those who want to let the world hear them out, Pashtuns have commenced about 30 Twitter campaigns in the last 3 months. In all of these, restoration of peace and demand for civil rights have remained common.

But neither the army nor the Pakistan government paid any heed to the chaos and disruption widespread in KPK. In the past few days, none of the many protests were covered by the mainstream media in the Pashtuns were peacefully demonstrating for their fundamental rights.

Before proceeding further, it is necessary to talk about the Twitter trends of the last 3 months. 

 

1. On-ground protests: Whilst the Pashtun brethren were demonstrating on-ground for the freedom and liberty of their countrymen, those who had the access to internet made their voices heard around the globe. The hashtags which flourished when Pashtuns were protesting on ground are #لکی_مروت_امن_احتجاج , #PashtunLongMarch2Geneva , #RedZoneSitInProtest , #BajourSetIn , #utmanzaiSitIn, #MirAliSitIn, #WaziristanSitIn4Peace, #باجوړ_قامي_امن_پرلت

Around 2 Million Pashtuns supported this on ground campaign.


2. Social media campaigns- To reach-out to the Western world and to wake the human rights organizations from their slumber Pashtuns raised their voice upon varied social media platforms including Twitter and Facebook with these hashtags #PashtunsRejectStateTerrorism, #StopStateTerrorism, #StopStagedWarsInPashtunkhwa, #StopTargetKillingInPakhtunkhwa , #StopViolenceAgainstAfgRefugees , #statekilledKhaliqdadbabar.  

The campaigns attracted huge turn-out and the world was finally made aware of the plight of the Pashtuns.


3. SWAT Militancy and Taliban- With the escalation of Taliban insurgency and the gruesome incident in the Swat, the Pashtuns did not sit aback and fought diligently. The impact was visible as the Twitter campaigns engaged International influencers and journalists as well. Notable among them were 

#PashtunLivesMatter, #SwatRejectsMilitancy, #مونږ_پخپله_خاوره_آمن_غواړو , #WeWantPeaceInShangla , #DaSangaAzadiDa

4. With the illegal arrest of the leader of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) for the past 2 years, through various Twitter campaigns people have expressed their solidarity with their leader through the campaigns- #ReleaseAliWazir #LongLiveResistance

5. AGHS Legal Aid Cell, Asma Jahangir's Law Firm through the #ClosedBordersOpenWebsites invited PTM Chief Manzoor Pashteen to highlight the crisis of Pashtun population and the human rights violation at the hands of Pakistani government.



Challenges Ahead:

The situation over the years haven’t changed an inch. But the independence of Bangladesh from the clutches of Pakistan has provided newer hopes and arrays to blossom among the brunt. With social media platforms becoming handy, it has become comparatively easier to be vocal about the persistent crisis. Also, through unity, we could attain the much-required freedom and sustain on our own, peacefully without the violent interference of the tyrant ruler.


 

 


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