The Complex Identity Politics Of Pakistan's Pashtuns: A Desire For Unity Or Separation?

Pashtuns are an ethnic group that make up the second-largest ethnic group in Pakistan and the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. The traditional Pashtun homeland stretches from the areas south of the Amu River in Afghanistan to the areas west of the Indus River in Pakistan. In Pakistan, Pashtuns are spread across all four provinces, Islamabad, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). They are the dominant ethnic group in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which was formed in 2010 by renaming the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) to better reflect the region's Pashtun identity.

Historically, there have been Pashtun nationalist movements advocating for the creation of an independent state of Pashtunistan or for the reunification of Pakistani Pashtuns with Afghanistan. However, over time, the support for these separatist movements has waned, especially as Pashtuns have become well-integrated into Pakistani society and gained greater representation in the country's politics and military. Today, the majority of Pakistani Pashtuns do not support the idea of joining Afghanistan and consider themselves proud Pakistanis. They have benefited from better access to education, healthcare, and other services in Pakistan compared to their counterparts in Afghanistan. Additionally, they have wider economic opportunities and enjoy a higher standard of living.

While there may still be a small minority of Pashtuns in Pakistan who sympathize with the idea of Pashtun reunification, the reality is that most Pashtuns have strong patriotic sentiments towards Pakistan and have sacrificed greatly to defend and build the nation. The notion of joining Afghanistan is, therefore, highly unlikely to gain widespread support among Pakistani Pashtuns.

Pakistani Pashtuns are thriving in Pakistan and have no interest in joining Afghanistan

Historically, Pakistani Pashtuns have made significant contributions to the creation and development of Pakistan. The name "Pakistan" itself was first coined by a group of Indian Muslim students, including several Pashtuns. During the independence struggle from the British, notable Pashtuns supported the cause of a separate Muslim state. Since Pakistan's independence, three Pashtuns have served as heads of state for a total of 20 years combined. Pashtuns have also been dominant in Pakistan's military high command, with many serving as army, air, and naval chiefs, corps commanders, and intelligence agency directors. In addition, Pakistani Pashtuns have wider access to education, healthcare, electricity, natural gas, and phone services than their Afghan counterparts.

While there may be some individuals or small groups who advocate for Pashtun reunification or independence, the majority of Pakistani Pashtuns are proud and inspirational Pakistanis with no desire to join Afghanistan. They recognize that they are an integral part of Pakistan and have sacrificed and contributed immensely to the country's progress and development. Any claims or attempts by Afghanistan or Afghan nationalists to interfere in Pakistani Pashtuns' affairs or promote secessionist sentiments are counterproductive and detrimental to bilateral relations.

Pashtuns are loyal to Pakistan, with many serving in the military and government

Pashtuns have served in prominent positions in the Pakistani government, including three Pashtuns who have served as heads of state for a total of 20 years combined: Governor-General Malik Ghulam Mohammad, President Ayub Khan, and President Ghulam Ishaq Khan.

Pashtuns have also long comprised a large portion of the Pakistan Army's foot soldiers. They have served as army, air, and naval chiefs, corps commanders, and run intelligence agencies, including the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Pashtuns have also made significant contributions to Pakistani sports, particularly cricket, squash, and field hockey. The only time that Pakistan won an ICC Cricket World Cup was in 1992 under the captaincy of a Pashtun named Imran Khan.

Pashtuns have wider access to services in Pakistan than in Afghanistan. They have a higher literacy rate and better access to quality education and healthcare. For instance, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's (K-P) 50% literacy rate is higher than Afghanistan's overall 31% literacy rate.

Pashtuns in Pakistan are doing just fine, and would probably balk at the idea that they should go back to Afghanistan, or any other similar idea.

Pakistan is a federal state, with each province electing its own assembly and government

Pakistan is a federal parliamentary republic, with a high degree of autonomy and residuary powers. The country is divided into four provinces, each with its own assembly and government. The provinces are:

• Punjab
• Sindh
• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
• Balochistan

Each province elects its own assembly and government, with members chosen by elected provincial legislators. The Chief Minister, who is the head of the provincial government, is elected by the assembly. The provincial assemblies are unicameral and elected for five-year terms.

The Pakistani government is mainly composed of three branches: the executive, legislative, and judicial. The executive branch is led by the Prime Minister, who is responsible for running the federal government and appointing a cabinet. The Prime Minister is the Chief Executive and is popularly elected by direct elections in the parliament.

The legislative branch has two houses, known as the Parliament of Pakistan, which consists of a directly elected National Assembly and an indirectly elected Senate. The National Assembly is the lower house, with 342 members, while the Senate is the upper house, with 104 senators. The Parliament enjoys parliamentary supremacy, and all cabinet ministers, including the Prime Minister, must be members of Parliament.

The judiciary is the third branch of the Pakistani government, with the Supreme Court at the apex, followed by provincial high courts and district courts. The judiciary's function is to interpret the Constitution and federal laws and regulations.

Pakistani Pashtuns have better access to services like education and healthcare than Afghans

In terms of education, Pakistani Pashtuns have a higher literacy rate than Afghans. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province) has a 50% literacy rate, which is higher than Afghanistan's overall 31% literacy rate. In addition, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has more than 30 universities that offer doctoral degrees in various fields, including the Persian language. In contrast, only between 10 and 20 students in Afghanistan have earned doctoral degrees in either Pashto or Persian from the Kabul University.

Pakistani Pashtuns also have wider access to better quality healthcare than Afghans. Afghan patients regularly cross the border to seek medical treatment in Pakistani hospitals, even as far as Lahore and Karachi. The Afghan government has failed to provide its citizens with uninterrupted electricity and other basic services, which is why Afghan refugees are hesitant about returning to Afghanistan.

In addition to education and healthcare, Pakistani Pashtuns also have wider access to electricity, natural gas, and phone services than Afghans.

The Durand Line forms the internationally recognised border between Afghanistan and Pakistan

The Durand Line is the internationally recognised border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is a 2,611-kilometre (1,622-mile) border established in 1893 by Mortimer Durand, a British diplomat, and Abdur Rahman Khan, the Emir of Afghanistan. The agreement was signed on November 12, 1893, in Kabul, Afghanistan, to fix the limit of their respective spheres of influence and improve diplomatic relations and trade. The Durand Line has served as the official border between the two nations for more than one hundred years.

The Durand Line cuts through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan of northern and western Pakistan from the northeastern and southern provinces of Afghanistan. It passes through the Pakistani provinces of North-West Frontier Province, Federally Administered Tribal Areas, and Balochistan. It also includes 10 provinces in Afghanistan.

The Durand Line was established towards the close of the British-Russian "Great Game" rivalry, resulting in Afghanistan becoming a buffer zone between British and Russian interests in the region. The line, as slightly modified by the Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919, was inherited by Pakistan in 1947, following its independence.

The Durand Line has caused controversy for the people who live there. It split the Pashtuns, the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan, into two separate countries. Afghanistan governs all the Pashtuns on one side of the Durand Line, while Pakistan governs all the Pashtuns on the other. The Pashtuns on the Pakistan side of the border made up more than half of the Pashtun population, but were now under the control of the Punjabis, which made them angry.

The Durand Line has been a source of tension between the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Afghanistan has never recognised the Durand Line as its international border, declaring the border and the agreements defining it as void because they were imposed on them by the British.

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