Re: How Islamic Societies Can Regain Its Past Glory
Speaking about Pashtuns, let me admit that we have our traitors e.g. Shah Shuja, who assisted British invade Pashtun Land or Khan Bahadar Ali Quli Khan, father of Aslam Khattak, one of the founding fathers of Muslim League in NWFP, who is blamed to have poisened Mullah Powinda, the Pashtun freedom fighter. But then our list of heroes is very long that include Mullah Powinda, Haji Sahib Turanzai, Faqir of Epi, Umara Khan Janduli, Wazir Akbar Khan, and Abdul Ghafar Khan to mention a few. True, some Pashtuns might have collaborated with British in queling the freedom war of 1857 but then who can ignore the role of Bakhth Khan Rohila in 1857 and the stiffest resistence offered by Rohila Pashtuns of Rohilkand to British colonialism? Worth mentioning is also the fact that during the World War I, our people deserted British forces because they were not willing to fight Turkish Muslim brethern.
Believe me every group has a national character and syche. Just like it is in our nature not to bow to imposition, coercion, and force and to fight for our freedom and honor (because slavery is an indignity and a curse that degrades you to a subhuman level and ultimately makes you extinct), similarly other groups have other tendencies and attributes as a part of their national psyche and character.
Are you sure Punjab can resist the temptations of a secure, safe, propsperous and comfortable life? Has “defiance, resistence, and sacrifice” ever been a part of its character and rebelion against oppression, coercion, and imposition an element of its national psyche? Has it ever stood for abstract but exalted and noblest virtues like freedom (from slavery/subservience), liberty, equality, self-esteem, and democracy—when in its history has it done so if you would say yes (Don’t mention Sikhs–they are really a valient people…Baba Goro Nanak invented that religion-sikhism-and gave Sikh Punjabis values and abstract notions to uphold, fight for, and defend).
Believe me friend, it is not the glory of the hay-days but sacrifices during hard time that gives people pride, high-moral ground, and the spirit to not to perish and to survive in history with dignity. All great nations are not great because they once had power, glory, and influence but becuse they had the moral courage, integrity, zeal and commitment to stand for freedom and honor when they were in trouble and when oppression and destruction had befallen them.. Herein lies the greatest weakness of Pakistan. If some day, some power threatens to bomb Faisal Abad, Lahore, and Sialkot, Punjab wouldn’t make effort to defend notions like freedom but its affluence and idustrialized cities beging the invader to leave these cities undamaged and to take away what it wants to.
Sindhis have immense inner strength and the fighting spirit-not of voilent type though but the non-voilent, mystic, profound, and latent type-that finds expression in its lore, tradions, and literary and religious movements. Baluchis have the same strength and moral power and so have the Urdu-speakers, the descendants of valient Mulana Mohammad Ali, Mualana Shaukat Ali, Shiekhul Hind Mahmudul Hassan, Mulana Abul Kalam Azad, Azeemullah Khan, Bakhth Khan Rohila, and a large number of others. I hope the present and next generations of Punjab do away with the traditions and making a new turn in history by standing for democracy, freedom (from oppression), equality, and liberty. Only then can we hope for a prideful future for Pakistan and a broader Muslim unity.