What would you call the people of Abasin and Khyber province - Abasini and Khyberi. How the people would take it when some one call them Abasini or Khyberi.
I fully acknowledge that the ideal word would be a provincial name acknowledging the predominantly Pakhtun chracter of the province.
Bur from the Greece/Macedonia example, I fear that if the NWFP receives a name as it rightfully should that emphasises the Afghan nature of its people, Afghanistan might see that as encroaching on its existence. After all, if Pakistan has an “Afghania” province, the Land of the Afghans next to us may start questioning Pakistan’s long-term intent.
A similar problem with Paskhtunkhwa or Pakhtonistan. “Pakhtunistan” means Land of the Pakhtuns, obviously.
Again, our neighbour, (which is 50% Pakhtun) may wonder what the hell is going on when Pakistan claims that the Land of the Pakhtuns is part of Pakistan. It’s very easy for the paranoid (and Afghanistan’s non-Pakhtun ethnic groups are very paranoid of Pakistan) to imagine Pakistan may have plans to bring all Pakhtuns into the Land of the Pakhtuns.
You may say that this is ridiculous, but Greece claims that Macedonia’s claim to that name is the beginning of an attempt to claim the Greek province of Macedon.
Why are you giving example of Mecedonia - there is a province Mecedonia in greece and there is a country Mecedonia. Nothing happened so far what Greece was expecting. Also, look it your own backyard, there is a punjab state in India and a Punjab province in Pakistan. You guys just making excuses that doesn’t make sense.
I take it all back. I hope it gets called Pakhtunistan ... after all, if we have a Baluchistan despite Baluchs present in Iran, why not a Pakhtunistan despite Pakhtuns in Afghanistan.
Pakhtunistan banega Pakistan! Hehe... that should annoy Afghanistan. Let's face it... they haven't exactly been friendly to Pakistan of late, we shouldn't pay their sensitivities any attention!
or how about just calling it Pakhtun or Pashtun Province or Sooba...easy to pronounce too...No istan or Khwa etc...Just as...Czech Republic is a country & Czechs are a race...Similarly we can call NWFP as Pakhtun Province or Pashtun Province...Pashtuns are 84% of NWFP...Hindkos make 13%...While there are 3% Sarikis mainly in D I Khan & Bannu areas...
They should be done with it and change the name already to whatever they want it is a trivial matter
As for the Hindko speaking not assiciating with there own culture I certainly would'nt say so
All other issues faced by Pakistanis have been solved and the litercay rate is stable enough, the economy has improved greatly and the govt system is truly exemplary, health and mortality is ever improving, birth rates are declining and hygeine has actually become a part of faith, there is complete religous, ethnic and social harmony. No suppression, oppression or nepotism. There is absolute enforcement of law and order, police, courts and judges are accountable and responsible. The armed forces are not on eternal high alerts on the eastern border and the western mountain regions are peacefull aswell. ppl can sleep with their doors unlocked and actually use their cell phones while not at home as they dont fear being robbed anymore. no mosque has been bombed lately and no innocent bystanders etc or food joints shot/burned. the ANF hasnt burnt any smuggled heroine and the FC hasnt caught any heavy/medium weaponry. Politicians and leaders have become sincere well wishers of the nation. every household-atleast those paying in thousands every month-have continuous and undisrupted power/energy/electricity, telephone and gas connections. All dams pending for decades have been built and there's water in every home 24 hrs a day. Ppl have actually realized that they are Muslims>Pakistanis>and then> Punjabi/Pathan//Mohajir/Balochi/Sindhi last, and so have become pious and simple and have abandoned all prejudices and disputes. The int'l community holds us in very high regard, there are no threatening issues prevailing in the world and we have become a hub of int'l business activity. The nation called Pakistan has prospered and is in full bloom.
And so our MNAs elect have shifted their valuable time, resources and energies to things of secondary importance such as renaming provinces...
Haris..I think the question that needs to be asked...is why doesn't the federal government allow the provinces people to rename itself? Why doesn't the federal government want to give the provinces any power to decide even the most basic issues of renaming..or giving them funds to alleviate poverty? If anyone can answer that most fundamental issue..they will have solved 90% of Pakistans problems..
Dear Moderator, you are really a true moderator, We wish Allah gift you with a son, you must have planned a lot for him, what all you want him to do in future even before his birth. Once he is born, please don’t give him a name, because there are a lot to be done and very important things like his future.
I don’t know where you are. And if NWFP is that good name why don’t you keep this name for your province. Then we will call sarhadi instead of Punjabi. Height of prejudice.
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You know there are only two Pakhtoons in the committee deciding a name for a province having more than 80% Pakhtoons. So dont worry MMA is doing what you want them to do.
Mad Sahab, what is the problem you have very easy solution to such prolems, all Pakhtoon community just require one Nuclear bomb and they are finished once for all. then enjoy and no problems
They should call it pash(kh)tunistan or pash(kh)tunkhwa...just like there is
pesh(kh)awar. Because NWFP is the land of pashtuns (being in majority)...so what is wrong with them to get a name change. this name is so stupid, if somebody says where you from in pakistan you say north west frontier...its like what the hell is that, it doesnt have no identity. It was a name put by british, and pashtuns should not accept it. i am wondering why it has taken so long to get rid of this stupid name, enforced upon the people...but later on they should also get rid of the durrand line, join with Afghanistan, implement shariah law....then no more demands. Pakistan can never complain anymore, and most problems solved, they can turn Pakistan into another india....not complain about pashtun culture, not complain about import of 'terrorist' culture..
Mr. Moderator, you are right. It will be a huge burden on Pak economy to rename this province. All our resources will be spent on renaming NWFP and nothing will be left for other development. Good thought Mr. Moderator!
Admit it you don’t give a… about what Afghanistan may feel, you’re worried a name like “Afghania” might work in Afghanistan’s favour and be disastrous for Pak, the Pukhtoons might actually realise that they are Afghans.
LOL .. not at all. There’s nothing to indicate that Pakistani pakhtuns want to be part of any nation in existence other than Pakistan.
Afghanistan’s non-pakhtun population would vehemently oppose the so-called NWFP joining Afghanistan, because it would make Pakhtuns the overwhelming majority in that country.
Right now Pakhtuns are simply the single biggest ethnic group in Afghanistan, but they can be rivaled because when the non-pakhtuns band together they are almost equal in number to them. They have a vested interest in preventing the so-called NWFP from joining Afghanistan because that would allow Pakhtuns to dominate Afghanistan by numbers.
I think its a misconception if you think that Punjabis are against changing the Name of NWFP… Most are either not concerned with it because it is not their province, or they support it. I never met a Punjabi who said he was dead against renaming the province.
Still your welcome, and best of luck..
The fear is that the Afghans might start trying to integrate NWFP into Afghanist and stop recognizeng the Durrand line like the used to do back in the days of Zahir Shah etc..
Afghanistan was NEVER friendly towards Pakistan.. Why do you think Pakistan has always been trying to get a foot hold in Afghainstan?
Remember the Afghns I believe were the only ones to be against Pakistan joining the UN..
Why Not Just Have Bloddy Referandum On The Name!?!?! Pashthuns being the majority will win most likely..
The Choices should be Pakhtunistan/Pakhtunkhwa or whatever other name they can come up with. I put Pakhtunistan/Pakhtunkhwa together so Pashtun voters arent split down the center and thus marginalized even as a majority.
