Re: [Split discussion] Punjab vs rest
Look man, the reason why Karachi has the highest concentration of ethnic population is because the rest of Sindh province doesn’t offer any geographical and socio-economic mobility. Opportunities and urban living is just restricted to one big City. In Punjab you don’t have such problem. Locals and outsiders enjoy the highest rate of socio-economic and geographical mobility in Punjab than anywhere else in Pakistan. People are constantly moving around within the province.
You may bring in the outdated Lahore vs Karachi argument from 80s, to compare diversity (Pashtun and Kashmiri exodus), but what about the Pashtun/Kashmiri etc communites settled in Islamabad, Pindi, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Multan, Rahim Yar Khan, Jhang, Jehlum, Mianwali, Gujranwala, Attock, Chiniot, Chakwal, Dera Ismail Khan? Can the same be said about Sindh? While Sindh’s urban identity doesn’t go beyond Karachi, but Punjab is so much more than just Lahore! The fact that you still need to put a metropolitan city of Karachi against the whole province of Punjab just shows how tragically detached and behind rest of the Sindh is, and you should know exactly why. The reason why you find ethnic minority migrants settled in every nook and corner of Punjab is simply due to the fact that politics/culture of xenophobia on ethnic and lingual line doesn’t exist. Language is not an issue as Punjabis are more than happy with Urdu being the national language - the prized local lingua franca.
My issue is with people like Moonstar201 and their blatant hypocrisy and ignorance. Ordinary Muhajirs like him don’t want to be generalised and hated for the crimes of MQM, but at the same time they have no shame generalising against a massive ethnic group over the policies of a tiny elite. If the rest of the Pakistan hating Muhajirs over racist hatred MQM spews and people it merciless kills is wrong and non justifiable, then why should hatred against Punjabis be rationalised? Are you guys willing to take the collective guilt of MQM’s terrorism and racist slogans?
This pathetic Munafqat of repeatedly giving your votes to Sindhi feudals and MQM mafia but expecting Punjabis to get you out of your miseries needs to stop. But it goes without saying that hatred against Punjabis always increases whenever MQM’s ass gets in trouble for committing mass murders. Perhaps this is what Moonstar was trying to put across, and I actually agree with him and unfortunately there is no cure for that mindset.
My point was simple: he has the nerve to boast about how Punjabis are so hated in Karachi and Quetta. Yet it is the province of Punjab (not just a city) where from all over Pakistan are living and enjoying the highest rate of inter-ethnic harmony. If Punjabis were so bad, then the kind of ethnic violence and politics of racial bigotry we see in Sindh would have been taking place in every nook and corner of Punjab. Even at hight of MQM’s anti Punjabi BS racism and propaganda, the Muhajir community of Punjab had never bore the burnt of it. In fact, as a result of Karachi operations of 90s, Lahore had received a large chunk of Muhajirs from Karachi and those people have been living there peacefully ever since.
All kinds of political dramas and personal hostilities, inequalities, violence, sectarian killings, crimes and discrimination exists in Punjab but give the province credit for not falling prey to ethnic and lingual divides. There is ample ground for exploitation! The ever so pathetic sons of soil vs outsiders debate has never been a cause of any ethnic tensions in Punjab. Given Punjab’s geographical location and history, we have no such thing as 100% Punjabi blood. Anyone who gives few years of sweat to the land of Punjab becomes Punjabi. Every second person in Punjab is just as Punjabi as Nawaz and Imran.