- I dont know much about the renaming of Faisalabad and Attock but they are not ethnic names. Had Attock been renamed Awan-istan ( Awans are the largest ribe in Attock) or Faisalabad been named Jatt-pur then surely the other tries would have protested. Attock has some historical value too.
Kashmir has also been used in the history.
The problem with Pakhtunkhwa is its a new name altogether. That region has never had a name before most probably because it was tribal and it has changed hands a number of times.
- The problem with Pakistan is it still uses the old colonial provincial system. They should have broken the provices down into smaller units so politicians stop using this province card and larger provinces stop usupring the rights of smaller provinces.
Had Afghanistan had 4 provinces based on its 4 main ethnicities today it would have been 4 different kingdoms. Had Pakistan gone through that it would not have survived.
The leaders of pakistan need to realise that using an outdated Brityish system that was solely for their benefit is not in the interests of Pakistan or its people.
I think support for the renaming to an ethnic name within pakhtuns has fallen and i dont think 90% of NWFP would have supported Pakhtunkhwa back in 1997 too as NWFP is probably about 70-80% Pakhtun.
The number of educated Pakhtuns who support a neutral name has risen. People are beginning to realise that there are others living amongst them and their views should be taken into account.
I dont believe anything is wrong with an ethnic name at all. There is nothing wrong with calling NWFP Pakhtun-whatever if it did not include Chitral, Hazara, Kohistan and eastern portion of D I Khan where Seraiki is spoken. Idont even have a problem with Pakhtun areas of Balochistan ie Zhob, Pishin, Ziarat, Loralai joining on to form a larger Pakhtun province.
If the province is renamed the next steps will be then to impose everyone in NWFP to learn Pashtu and it will become the language of the Assembly.
It wont just be a province being renamed that will be the first step and that is why many non-Pakhtuns probably reject Pakhtunkhwa. Once it becomes Pakhtunkhwa it will be seen as a pakhtun province and the minorities will lose out.
Ironically the ANP have always complained that Punjab has taken the political/ cultural, economic rights of the smaller provinces. The ANP really needs to listen to its own advice and look at how it has treated minorit areas or other Pakthun areas out of the Peshawar valley even.