Dr. Muhammad Sami Punjabi

Keeping in view the recent storm brought by state/establishment sponsored media in the cup of tea, in 26th June, 2011 Express Tribune’s article Dr. Tariq Rehman at last found a golden opportunity to share his part in another attempt to subvert the ‘national question’ of this federation’s entities having suggested their more divisions by mainly focusing upon the sitting duck, Punjab. While doing so like many others, he stressed upon the fiscal rights (which is no doubt one of the demands besides others) but completely ignored the very essence of the ‘national question’ raised by Sindhis, Pathans, Balochs and a few Punjabis like Bangalis in order to avoid the menace to their identities.

It is literally very amusing that suggestion have been floated to create an abstract “Pakistani” society enforcedly overnight (in terms of evolution) by dividing and diluting the naturally existing pluralistic ethno-linguistic societies of all 4 national entities/provinces, where all ethnic, linguistic groups and before 1947 even different religious communities have been living side by side amicably for centuries with complete harmony and no conflicts whatsoever. This clearly reflects that how ruthlessly religion was used earlier to divide & rule them and now the ruling forces of establishment are so keen to dismember them once again having coined pseudo nations within all 4 genuine nations merely to maintain the status quo on the bases of ‘holy Urdu’, ‘Upite version Islam’ & ‘sacred’ Pak-Army as the pillars of virtual Pakistaniat, which is exceptionally suitable for their de facto rule.

It is quite odd that a separate province has been suggested for the peculiar Khowar speaking people with the inclusion of some Khowar speaking regions (In upper Chitral & swat) of KPK, who have already got the separate disputed entity of Gilgit-Baltistan.  

Another very strange analogy has been drawn among the division of KPK and Punjab just to legitimize the proposed division of vulnerable Punjab at least into three provinces having termed Saraiki & Potohari dialects of Punjabi as separate languages; On the one hand suggestions have been given for the Pathans of northern (in south of KPK) region of Balochistan have distinguished dialect for their inclusion with the Pathans of adjoining KPK having as much more diverse dialects as Punjabi, Saraiki & Potohari have got in Punjab, but on the other, instead of suggesting the inclusion of Hindko speaking regions of KPK (adjacent with Punjab) in Punjab, a separate province has been advised consisting upon Pahari, Hindko and Potohari (Punjabi dialects) speaking regions.

In the case of Balochistan it hasn’t been dared to float any such proposal to divide the Brohi (Dravidian origin) and Balochi (Persian basis) speaking regions besides completely overlooking the Lasi speaking region just to evade the fear of already fuelled resentment of Balochs.

Similarly while discussing Sindh, writer admits his helplessness that he couldn’t dare to suggest any formula for the division of Sindh, as he knows well enough the wrath of extremely well aware Sindhis. But deceitfully he completely vindicates Urdu speaking (Muhajirs) for their infiltration & occupation in this federation and particularly at the urban regions of Sindh. The writers claim that “Since my aim is only to provide the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people and it was not clear to me which policy would achieve this in Sindh, I had given no solution at all”; doesn’t have any ethical & legal value as how & why the occupants’ happiness could be taken into consideration particularly when they are not ready to merge in the natives society by owning their language and culture in its actual letter and spirit and nostalgically adhered with their own ones in order to establish it’s hegemony upon the locals against all set norms.

Then the malicious suggestion of writer declaring Karachi an autonomously governed city having free port with its own administration, taxation and other services, is a sheer attempt to create room for alien Urdu speakers on the pretext of Pashto and Sindhi speakers without realizing for a moment that Sindhis are sons of the soil and Pashtoons are their adjacent neighboring nations, who have already admitted the authenticity of Sindhi language and culture being the sole codes of the Sindh’s land. If Balochs didn’t resist, with the settlements at Gawadar due to the continuous surreptitious influx of Ganga Jamna mafia through sea, air, Wahga, Khokarapar; within twenty to thirty years the similar sort of suggestions would be given for the coastal town of least populated Balochistan and then who would not only be the next Governor but also the CM of Balochistan within 4-5 decades?

Ethno-lingual division of any national entity of this federation would be a chain reaction having no end and shall be as much lethal as religious division was. Paradoxically, military bureaucracy has been termed as Punjabi even though in the previous lines writer tried his utmost to prove Potohar region (where ‘Punjabi’ Army by & large belong to) a separate ethno-linguistic entity and suggested a province for it. Division of Punjab would rather enhance and consolidate the domination of ‘Punjabi establishment’ with the increase of seats in senate for the each divide unit of it having the same faces. 

The dominance of Punjab could only be harnessed and channelized after the precise implementation of 18th amendment, which decentralizes the political & economical power and above all enables pluralistic national entities to secure and protect their identities by giving equal room to other ethnic and linguistic groups to flourish & assimilate with each other. Further devolution of powers to grass-root level would bring intra & inter provincial parity to create a harmonious atmosphere in order to aid merger/diffusion of different nations of all 4 entities in an evolutionary way.

Then the re-demarcation of existing national units/provinces could be done with the mutual/unanimous agreements of the elected representatives of each unit of the federation. As far as princely states are concerned, suggestions for the restoration of Bahawalpur or any other state are simply ridiculously nonsense as every state was carved out by Britishers to ease their vast rule. Otherwise what sauce’s for the goose (Bahawalpur) is sauce for the gander (other all princely states).

Finally if Urdu speakers (Muhajirs) have to live & die in any entity of this federation particularly Sindh as now they rhetorically claim being declared themselves as ‘new Sindhis’; they shall have to lay off the superiority complex by owning the language & culture of the land practically in order to be the part of that nation. This is the sole ethical, logical, natural & pragmatic remedy for any such long lasting conundrum, which would bridge the gulf among natives and them.

Otherwise hasty attempts of creating a Pakistani nation by establishment at the cost of thousands years old 4 genuine nations by coining pseudo-nations within them would be proved catastrophic and the last nail in the coffin of endangered federation because nations are not created overnight through a promulgation rather they emerge through a natural evolutionary process of centuries provided that justice prevails to bring harmony among humans.