Racism rules in Pakistan
By Tazeen Javed • Apr 17th, 2008 • Category: Politics, Worth A Second Look • 15 CommentsI quoted Cowasjee in one of my previous posts where he said that unless a leader who has iman and insaniyat springs up from somewhere, we will remain a failing state.
I came across another gem since then, Peshawar High Court Bar Association’s President Latif Afridi was caught on Geo saying that “If it is demanded that Afghanis are sent back to Afghanistan, then muhajirs should also be sent back to Hindustan.” Not only did he say that in a high court bar association gathering, the august lawyer’s community clapped and cheered the esteemed Afridi sahib heartily on his sage comments. The esteemed lawyer was not only rude enough to demand that Pakistanis who were born and brought up in the country should go back to India because their ancestors were stupid enough to come to Pakistan, he also called all of them looters and usurpers. He said that all Muhaijirs (I personally loath that term) are looters who have taken over the land of Sindhis.
The funny thing is, Afridi sahib is a former member of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan but he knows nothing about the basic right of a group of people to form political affiliations which can be different than his own. Afridi sahib is also famous for demanding and advocating for open and unpatrolled borders between Pakistan and Afghanistan. I only wonder why is he so vehemently ask for a situation which only helps smugglers who smuggle wheat to Afghanistan and bring back drugs and weapons to Pakistan. A patriotic Pakistani would not object to closing down the borders; open borders only help smugglers and Taliban operatives. If Hitler had been alive, he would have been very happy to have found such an ardent student of racism.
The learned wakeel sahib needs to take some classes in International Law 101 where he should be taught the difference between born citizens, naturalized citizens, invaders and refugees so that he will not make the mistake again and would learn to differentiate between citizens of Pakistan and Afghan refugees and their respective rights.
Oops, I forgot, citizens of Pakistan have no rights to speak of. After all, racist societies do not much care for rights of its citizen. We have seen it in Nazi Germany and Rwanda in the past and we are seeing it now in Darfur and Pakistan
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I am Tazeen, I have perfected the art of rolling eyes … I can roll them heaven wards, downwards, leftwards, rightwards and afterwards, I now fear that my vision is ruined for life. I love to indulge in intellectually stimulating bitch sessions. I don’t lie, cheat, steel or drink. If it were not for the love of gossiping, I would be an angel, complete with the halo.
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Shame on the highly respected and highly educated men who are propogating racism and creating an ethnic divide. Just because a few people are exploiting the whole country ….. is no excuse to generalise and pass judgments … I pray that sanity will prevail and we the Peace loving Pakistanis will be allowed to move on …
Mr.fzuberi - Regretably the leadeship in this country does not represent the majority of the AWAM .. anyone can get away from anything or get anyting - by making deals … so there is no point in high lighting what the so called leaders are sayings .. let us go on with our lives and worry about how to survive … the inflation created by our economy managers … i am sorry but i cannot accept that we are racists … mojority of us aare peace loving people who want to move on with life .. that is if the highly learned and respected will lwt us ….
Also it must be noted that all these CHAMPIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS HAVE A POLITICAL BIAS …
Aftab S. Alam on April 15th, 2008 :
You say, “Mr. Latif Afridi the president of the PBA Peshawar bar association, a highly respected and highly educated man, was making a speech to his bar.”
I say, “If this is how a “highly educated” man thinks and talks and even “respected” for this, then no wonder we are where we are!”. Good luck to us all!
Aftab S. Alam on April 15th, 2008 :
Listen people, I guess I am going to allow myself a bit of philosophizing, so please bear with me. An old adage is that to know and yet think we do not know is the highest attainment; not to know and yet think we do know is a disease. Remember there was this guy by the name Shakespeare, he said something like God forgive them for they are ignorant. So I say lets forgive them for their ignorance.
There is no need to hold eachother responsible for this. Pakistan is just one village in this big big world facing many many problems. We are not the only people in this situation and I like to believe that we had things pretty much under control and were reasonably on the right track. Then. Boom. The hell broke lose. Everything started going wrong. Let’s be honest what made us suddenly so concerned about the absence of certain politicians. Did anyone out there in the streets really missed or cared where were these politicos. And they were living their lives nicely where ever they were. BB was travelling around the world Dubai-UK-France-USA and back giving lectures to the world and us and it was harmless; Mians were also busy building their palace in Jeddah, and enjoying their luxury flats in the West London (nice locality, really) doing shopping and implants etc. looking after their beauty and fitness and we also wished them good times, never mind if we or our children would never ever get one hour of such luxuries. Aitzaz Ahsan has his son studying in Harvard University, his daughter is in Switzerland. And Aitzaz lives in great style in his wonderful house and gives interview sitting in greatly done, decorated living room (Drawing Room) and that’s fine, too. Never mind if our children don’t even have the opportunity to learn where all these fancy schoos or places are, we never made an issue with them about their great great welath and fortune and our tremendous pain and sufferings. Then how come all of a sudden they all started worrying about our welfare? There is something terribly wrong here, I haven’t heard anyone from them announcing that all their wealth (most of it made at our cost!) will be donated to a charity to provide some education, some health care or whatever to the poorest Pakistanis. Why? Let the charity begin right here. Now, in last a year and a half these people have created such cirmstances that we have even less than what was there. Is it our fault? Is a Punjabi or a Pathan, or a Sindhi, or a Baluchi, or a lets Muhajir responsible for our pains and sufferings. I say NO! Think about it.
“If it is demanded that Afghanis are sent back to Afghanistan, then muhajirs should also be sent back to Hindustan.” Peshawar High Court Bar Association’s President Latif Afridi
It perfectly makes sense that he is a former member of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.
Being a non-muhajir (Hindustani-Pakistanis) and non-Afghan, this statement of Mr. Afridi looks pretty fair to me. He seems to be reminding us the human rights of Afghan refugees, and he is reminding us of the rights on the grounds of the very principles that we (the natives) had 60 years back when we adopted the Hindustani muhajirs. Those muhajirs were not beautiful, they did not carry money; but we welcomed the burden. Why? please let us know that.
Aside from being a bit blunt ,”No, not required” isnt wrong.
For a pashtoon living in NWFP a Afghani living across the border has much more in common then lets say Altaf Hussain. But as a Pakistani I think both have an equal right of living in Pakistan if they so choose. Its neither a racist position, neither particularly outrageous.
And I cant understand why the writer is outragged by the simple statement of Fact:
1. Mohajirs were settled in karachi and Hyderabad and Now form large percentages hence “took the land” of the locals (Sindhis).
2. Muhajir is a term of respect (due to religious connatations). There is no other Euphemism to better sugar coat it. If you want to call them “Urdu speaking Sindhis” that your problem.
3. As if Pakistan ever had a problem with Afghan drugs, our intelligence apparatus was involved when we made Afghanistan a narco economy. We our selves also have a huge Narco economy.
4. we exported alot of Taliban in the 90’s when we are no longer self sufficient and have to import a few its suddenly a problem huh…
Racism dosent apply in Pakistan in the same way it applies in the west so there is no use being too touchy about it.
Hi, I can
…I favor as many of the ummah the right. To government freedom which entails. Independence why
every since the so could. United Pakistan the same Punjah elite have pilivage Pakistan. The do
not pay taxes follow the Deen. We live is superfiscalism why? Pakistan is Islamic society if your
greedy and selfish and ignore the needs of the people. This reason the indifference among us. I am
Sindh and when seek higher employment most perfer. There tribe worked in Iran and Bahrain excelled.
How can anyone whom lived in Pakistan say. The nation has equality? Tell me it time for change if
means warfare to achieve the independence of Sindhstian so be it.
Salaam
As a Pahusto I favor my own country not Pakistan. The PPP party is the problem and besides Bhutto
family. Stated they would assist us with independence from Pakistan. The reason the so called
business families whom seek. The commodities for there sake nothing more. Pahusto go nothing
or acceptence since Pakistan evolved. I want my own nation not inept Pakistan. The sultanate of
Pahustostian. Praise Allah!!!!!! And we shall not speak Urdu any longer Pahusto and Farsi!!!!
FIVE REGIONAL cities in PAKISTAN should be upgraded with in the provinces of the country. Regional cities of Dera Ismail Khan in NWFP, Gawadar/ Qalat in Balouchistan, Sukkar/ Larkana in Upper Sind, Jehlam/ Rawalpindi and Multan in Punjab province. These regional cities have been ignored by the federal and provincial governments although these cities have their own history, culture and languages.Dera Ismail Khan in south of Pakhtun khwa is under seige, Multan/DG Khan in south of Punjab is next target of religious extremists,Sukkar/ Larkan is rule by criminals, Gawadar/ Qalat is trouble some. The people of these regions have to travel to provincial capitals for every small issue and requirement of the daily life which should be provided in nearby cities. A good number of population travel to big cities for their survival to earn livelihood as the local feudal own majority land and keep the common man as their slaves. Creation of regional government and upgrading of the regional cities will save a lot of money and time of the poor people of these regions. Circuit courts of the High Courts are already working in these areas and only requirement is the additional staff of different departments involved in additional work at the provincial capitals. The concern authorities should immediately consider to upgrade the regional cities. And immediate attention should be given upgrade the airports,TV station, civic center, libraries,hospitals, educational institutes and investment opportunities for Pakistanis living abroad and foreign firms to create jobs in the area as majority population in rural Pakistan do not have enough resources to survive. It’s remind me the condition of pre Islamic revolution of Iran in Shah time when the rural Iran was ignored and the capital Tehran was developed in a way to call it Paris of Middle East with modern life style. Couple of other big cities like Isfahan and Caspian sea was taken care of because of foreign tourists but rural area was ruled by cruel police and intelligence. Then what happen, rural population supported the Islanic revolution and later on moved to Tehran and other big cities. Any how The new government developed, built and upgraded the riral areas of the country.KHWAJA AFTAB ALI,( former secretary, Iranian embassy, Saudi Arabia) Advocate High Court & I.P. Attorney- first and only Pakistani lawyer earned scholarship to study Intellectual Property Rights in USA,presently residing in Florida, USA. pip.law@hotmail.com
IshAllah to my brothers I enjoy the comments. Especially the indepence of Pushtostian under a
monarchy. I prefer a Sultan whom has a lineage right. Not so facade” of democrazy whom. Really
dictator as all the governments of Pakistan. And besides they expudge so much from us. I concur
I relocated to Iran and Oman yes dark complexion I was accepted. I favor a Pushto monarchy
with Omani princess for Malika IshAllah. Bangladesh evolve from th illdominance of inept Pakistan.
I want my own nation and pratice Islam. Pakistan is concern about money and elite corrupt Mojarhi’s
Salama
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Every country in the world may have racism but we only recognize it when we are influenced by it. For the people on the other side of the divide, being called a ‘racist’ is like being called a name. And who would ever own up to that?…is the writer of this blog a ‘Muhajir’ decendent by any chance?? You are calling those who migrated to Pakistan ’stupid’…well my dear, you have much to learn. The problem is not what happened in the past, the problem is that we’re not man enough to face the problems of today. We just know how to sulk and criticize….and for the record, I’m not anti - Muhajir.
The Pashtun and Baloch society to a degree (though they got defeated by the Brohui confederecy of Kalat) is Tribal by nature. The way this tribalism is practiced in West of Indus and similar in Somalia as well is inherently racist. Even our so called Heros like Imran Khan in his books (All round view, Warrior Race) writes how his mother taught him that being a pathan he was superior to his [punjabi] friends.
This tribalism has also crept into rest of Pakistani society. MQM is nothing more than tribal organization of immigrants refugees from India. Before MQM the militant tribal societies of Pashtuns and Baloch used to brutalise the meek Muhajir. ONly after the Muhajir organized himself into a tribal (like the Pashtun and baloch) he was able to defend himself.
Future of Pakistan is not bright. Once Punjab is also tribalized and Punjabis start considering themselves Punjabis first you will see a complete break up of Pakistan.
hmmm……… its a real shame for all of us. I truly wish to see Pakistan as a prosperous nation but I would have to agree with Safdar that the current situation is very gloomy and also that almost every political party has a racism based agenda(including those who call themselves as a National Party), and the present situation is very scary and ugly, there is racism in every society(including European, American, Indian , Australian and so on ) but the levels of racism in Pakistan are much more than any of them…….