Like Punjabis, the Pushtuns are found in all the provinces, Karachi holding the largest Pushtun population in Pakistan. In Punjab the earliest settlements of Pushtuns were railway colonies while in Karachi Pushtun labour settled in bulk to work in industries. There being little competition with local population, the Pushtuns lived harmoniously both in Punjab and Sindh.
In Balochistan the Baloch and the Pushtuns had lived together peacefully for centuries. With the arrival of the Pushtuns and the Hazara refugees in the wake of the turmoil in Afghanistan a rivalry over urban facilities and provincial resources gave birth to misunderstandings which increased as many refugees got themselves registered as Pakistani citizens, some through illegal means. Terrorists from across the border also acquired Pakistani CNICS. Initially the religious parties and Pushtun nationalist networks encouraged the naturalization of the Afghans as they provided them political support against the Baloch nationalists. This disturbed the fragile ethnic balance in the province which had traditionally favoured the Baloch. Recently Baloch nationalists demanded the removal of all Afghan refugees before holding the census.
The complaints by a number of Pushtun nationalist leaders in the National Assembly on Friday were partly a reflection of the tussle. PKMAP leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Qaumi Watan Party chief Aftab Sherpao, ANP leader Ghulam Ahmad Billour and JI leader Sahibzada Tariqullah were unanimous in voicing complaints regarding the profiling of Pushtuns. These included blocking their ID cards by NADRA and maltreatment of Afghan refugees. That they were supported by PTI’s Arif Alvi and a PMLN MNA from Faisalabad indicates that the complaints were not altogether an outcome of ethnic rivalry.
The pre-Afghan jihad ethnic balance needs to be retained in Balochistan to ensure that the rights of the Baloch are not infringed upon. Similarly refugees living in Sindh and Punjab should be helped to return to their homes. There is however a need to treat the Afghan refugees more humanely so that they do not have complaints of maltreatment as they leave. The CNICs acquired fraudulently however have to be canceled.
