*And I have read about 1971. The West Pakistani dictatorship was largely responsible for what happened. And guess what, many of the people of West Pakistan, especially certain province were the biggest supporters and defenders of the govnt that broke Pakistan. No, it was not only Punjabis who were in the wrong then, and it is not only Punjabis who are wrong now. There are a lot of dirty characters everywhere. *
Yes Punjabis were the supporters of the government, but lets put it perspective, Punjab has supported just about every government in power. The last time Punjab province rebelled was against Yahya Khan, after the 1971 war when pretty much all of Pakistan was in disarray. Since then Punjabis have supported every government in power from ZAB to the present. I don't want to get petty in this racial politics but after the Bangladesh debacle, we were about to lose Baluchistan in rebellion as well because ZAB used extreme military force with cooperation with Iran, it was Zia-ul-Haq who cooled the things down by freeing the leaders, offering general amnesty etc., Don't get me wrong, I hate many of Zia's policies but this one I fully support. As for your latter statements, I agree that bad people are everywhere and I'm glad to see you acknowledge this fact.
And as for having faith in Pakistan, my faith is going away day by day, but who knows what the future holds. But there are two sides to this problem, the larger issue is the government and how it treats provinces. This is the cause, the effect is when people became anti-Punjabi. In 1971, the Bengalis feeling towards West Punjab were not the cause of the civil war, but the effect from what West Pakistan was doing.
No I think you right, we should make changes for the distribution of resources and revenues from the federal level. There can be things done to make sure Sindh and Baluchistan are being developed than Punjab. I think that you should hold on to your faith in Pakistan, work with us to make things better. I don't know about other Punjabis, but there are 2 Punjabis (mulz and I) right here hoping to discuss the issues you and to solve any misgivings. Let's not play the blame game, E.Pakistanis blamed West Pakistans, theyre gone..Now the remaining West Pakistanis blame Punjab..whose next?
No, of course not. Who said Punjabis are evil? Right now, I probably have more Punjabi friends then any other. All good decent people just like any other Punjabi I'm sure. But the problem is that these good decent people remain quiet over the injustice towards other ethnicities in Pakistan. Just like many mohajirs stayed quiet when Bengalis were being trampled on by the army or Sindhis stayed quiet when Balochis were being trampled on. Sooner or later it all comes back to haunt us.
Hey I agree! I don't want ANY Pakistani to feel bad about his/her country or to think that unfair treatment is justified. Look, Punjabis are a slim majority in Pakistan so I'm sure there may be p;lenty of examples where unfair treatment may have been given, but I am talking about the AVERAGE Punjabi, he or she doesn't have anything to do with all of that mess..you should visit Punjab and TALK to simple folk there, I can assure you that your views will change.
As for me, being jaded, perhaps this is true, but I admit I do not have the patience of greater men than me. My grandfather came to Pakistan with his younger brother, leaving his mother and other brothers and sister behind because they did not want to leave and they could not persuade him not to leave. His family had land and had served in lucrative positions with the British govnt, and in the puppet Moghul court before. Obviously, his family did not want to ruin a good thing. But he became involved in Pakistan movement and eventually ended up in Karachi with his brother where they met up with some of their other relatives and found a house and started working for the new government of Pakistan.
Again, I cannot comment on your family situation as their experiences might actually justify their views. What I can say for YOU is that, you still have plenty of time in your life to see a better Pakistan, why not work to better it?
And there is a point to this story. From perhaps being the most pro-Pakistani folks on the face of this earth, most in our family today are bitterly opposed to the army, govn't, and in some cases the concept of Pakistan itself. In fact I am perhaps the most the pro-Pakistani person in my family right now. Surely, something went wrong somewhere here, as my family's history is not unique among mohajirs or other ethnicities.
I do believe that something did go wrong. No offense but it entirely sad to say that your the most pro-Pakistani person in your family. I can tell you from my experiences and insights in Punjab, the Army and culture that we don't hate urdu-speakers, in fact most of us respect them for their part in the Pakistan movement and the early years. Don't forget that we were the only province to take on Urdu without protest (Unlike Sindh, E.Pakistan). I really do hope that you can discuss your concerns because as a very, very, very patriotic Pakistani, I don't want you to continue to harbor any negative feelings.
