You definitely need to define this “ideological crisis” that you’re referring to? As for blending in, that is something that the rest of Pakistan is more worried about. I can definitively answer your questions:
Race: Caucasian
Ethnicity: Eastern Iranian
Ideology: Again not sure what you mean here?
Now can you say the same thing about other Pakistanis? I don’t like the word desi when used in a subcontinental context because it negates the Pakistani nationalism that many of our forefathers fought and died for. If we are all desis in the same camp with Indians and Bangladeshis, then why did we separate from India? Why did Bangladesh separate from Pakistan?
Furthermore, if you want to talk about ideological crisis, if I start counting the times when a Punjabi or Urdu speaker came to me and mentioned that their ancestors were somewhere from the Middle East, I’d be rich. I don’t go around asking where your forefathers come from. You (not you personally) hate Indians in one breath and still call yourself desi at the same time..for that I say I’d rather be called Afghan, as my commonalities lie with the people West of Durand. I don’t even have issues with India or Indians, as I see them as a distinct nation that is not pretending to be from somewhere else like many Pakistanis do.
As for the Pakhtun-Afghan issue. I could care less whether the world is aware or not. If people are going to comment about the Pakhtun nation, its THEIR responsibility to understand the differentiation. Yes Pathan is an offensive term because 1. it was given by the British 2. It is used in the Indian/Pakistani caste system. To date, the Pakhtun bloodline is probably mostly preserved in the Rohillas of India and they do not follow the caste system, so where are all these caste based ‘Pathans’ coming from?
Ethnicity is a constant while political ideologies shift. Today there are Pakhtuns on both sides of the border, some are secular, some nationalist, others Taliban, monarchist, separatist..however all adhere to the codes of Pakhtun culture, and language.
We are proud of our people, history, commitment to Islam, and our role in the Pakistan movement. It’s too bad that our patriotism is questioned at each turn, pushing us further away from the goal of a truly independent and confident Pakistan.