Hundreds of tribal people took out a ‘Pashtun Long March’ from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Islamabad to protest against the killing of a Pashtun shopkeeper in Karachi.
New Delhi: Tension between the Pakistan government and Pashtuns has been on a rise since the Pashtun’s of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) came together to protest against the killing of fellow Pashtun Naqeebullah Mehsud in Karachi last month.
Although the march was started by the Pashtun men of Waziristan, they were later joined by many young Pashtun activists. The conflict follows a long history of marginalisation of the community which also sees itself as a victim of the ‘war on terror’.
Tribal homeland
The vast majority of the Pashtuns are found in the traditional Pashtun homeland, located in an area south of the Amu Darya in Afghanistan, and west of the Indus River in Pakistan, which includes Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, FATA, and the northern part of Balochistan province.
The Pashtun tribes who inhabit the areas are semi-autonomous, so the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and high courts of Pakistan does not extend to FATA.
The Soviet intervention in Afghanistan in 1979 which lasted until 1989 hindered the social, cultural and educational fabric of FATA. Millions of refugees from Afghanistan settled in this region and it remained the most underdeveloped area of Pakistan since. It served as hub for Mujahideen and jihadi ideology spread in the area. Religious fundamentalism spread as Maliks (tribal chiefs) and local clergy lost authority at the hands of the Mujahideen.
Collateral damage
After the 11 September 2001 attacks, the tribal areas of Waziristan, became a frontline of the war on terrorism, as al Qaeda and other groups took refuge there. Since then, Pashtuns and other tribes in the FATA region live in constant fear of being exiled, their homes and businesses razed, and members arrested over minor transgressions.
Pashtuns in the tribal areas have faced militant attacks and crackdowns by the army. The operations carried out against Taliban displaced about 2 million people from the tribal areas, as schools, hospitals, and homes got destroyed in the war. Many also fled to other parts of Pakistan but they face discrimination there as well.
The tribes residing in the area live in poverty, with FATA being the most impoverished part of Pakistan. Being the most backward region of the country, there are few employment opportunities. This has also led to radicalisation of many tribals in the area. They are also used as proxy soldiers in the confrontation between the West and the Islamic extremists. Ever since Pakistan’s conception, the Pashtun tribes have been in conflict either against foreign intruders or among themselves.
The Pakistani military also used the presence of Pashtuns in the army to dominate Balochs, who have been fighting for their own autonomy since 1947. The army is also dependent on Pashtuns to keep the widespread Baloch insurgency in check.
The younger generation of tribesmen, who are now residing in other parts of Pakistan have begun to raise their voices against the infringement of human rights in the tribal region, removal of all landmines in Waziristan and the rest of the tribal belt and withdrawing of security check posts where tribesmen have to prove their identity each time they enter their villages and towns.
Latest incident
After the alleged extrajudicial killing of Pashtun shopkeeper Naqeebullah Mehsud in Karachi on 13 January, hundreds of tribal men from FATA took out a ‘Pashtun Long March’ from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Islamabad as a form of protest against what is being termed as the Pashtun genocide and justice for Mehsud.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan has already ordered the arrest of the fugitive police officer who is allegedly involved in the incident but the protesters are questioning the government’s role.
Meanwhile, the protesters have received support from many political figures from Afghanistan, including President Ashraf Ghani, who recently tweeted that the main purpose of this protest is “to mobilise citizens against fundamentalism and terrorism in the region”.