Though the news hasn’t gotten a huge amount of attention in the U.S., given our discussions of Pakistan’s political situation a couple of years ago, it seems worth noting that Pakistan’s Parliament just passed, and President Zardari signed, a series of reforms designed to make the Parliament stronger and more independent of the executive. The package of reforms is included in a new Amendment to Pakistan’s constitution. Along with the Parliamentary change, there is also an attempt to clarify the relationship between the Judiciary and the Executive branches of Pakistan’s government, so we don’t see a repeat of the power struggle between the Chief Justice of the Pakistan supreme court and former President Pervez Musharraf that began in 2007.
The most detailed summary of the reforms are at the Center for American Progress. I would recommend readers read the whole article, but here is a list of the changes that will affect the relationship between Parliament and the President:
Removing presidential powers to circumvent the normal legislative process and limiting the amount of time the president may consider bills passed by parliament before approving them (Article 75)
Transferring the power to submit matters directly to parliament for a yes or no vote to the prime minister (Article 48)
Removing the infamous Article 58-2(b) instituted by President Musharraf, which granted the power to unilaterally dismiss parliament under vague emergency provisions
Consulting with the outgoing prime minister and opposition leader on presidential appointments of caretaker governments to manage the transition to a new government when parliament is dismissed (Article 224) ()link)
And that’s just one part of the Amendment. The part of Amendment 18 that leaves open some future areas of contention is the reform of the judiciary appointment system, where it seems like some of the planned changes are still up in the air. According to the CAP author, the most contentious issue in the Amendment thus far has actually been the plan to rename the NWFP along ethnic lines, as Khyber-Pakhtunwa. Riots by members of the Hazara community in the region have left several people dead. It’s too bad that there is some dissatisfaction, but the change does certainly make sense to me — Northwest Frontier Province is an old, colonial name that only made sense under the British Raj.
I’m curious to know what readers who have connections to Pakistan think of the changes. Will they be good for Pakistan in the long run? And what about India-Pakistan relations? Overall, I think it’s a really impressive roll-back of executive power — the real end of the Musharraf era, if you will. President Zardari has exceeded my expectations.
Years ago a wit asked when democracy would stablise in Pakistan replied, “When the third General of the Pak Army to be appointed by a democratically elected head of state/government, demits office, retires of his own accord to the officers club for a chota peg and spends more time on his grandchildren than the workings of the national assembly.” Gen.Kayani retires in October this year, let us see if he is the first of three. Let us hope he is.
While they’re at it, how about dropping Article 227(1) as a good faith effort towards building a new, inclusive “South Asia” and building toward the possibility of a settlement of the Kashmir issue:
All existing laws shall be brought in conformity with the Injunctions of Islam as laid down in the Holy Quran and Sunnah, in this Part referred to as the Injunctions of Islam, and no law shall be enacted which is repugnant to such Injunctions.
“Riots by members of the Hazara community in the region have left several people dead. It’s too bad that there is some dissatisfaction, but the change does certainly make sense to me — Northwest Frontier Province is an old, colonial name that only made sense under the British Raj.”
Except the new names implies that the region belongs to Pashtuns and marginalizes ethnic groups such as the Hazara who have equally deep ties and valid claims to the region. NWFP may be a colonial name but it is certainly a more authentic name and better description than the ugly sounding new made-up name “Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa”.
Why not just call it “Khyber?”
Because it still pays etymological lip service to Pashtuns only. Pashtuns being in majority, I don’t see a problem with it, but that’s my degenerate American POV.
I think the judiciary should have the power to unilaterally dissolve the gov’t, at least where Pakistan goes. They appear to be the only remotely stable branch of gov’t, and the one the public seems to hate the least.
Shilpa- you’re funny! They hold onto Islam tighter than they do their own nads. Besides, Pakistan doesn’t do good faith. They do cash up front. (Not that that’s an entirely bad thing!)
Amardeep,
Has the requirement that the President has to be a muslim got ammended(or rather reverted) in the latest one.
Thanks.
Vamsi, as far as I know that hasn’t changed.
Here is a page with the relevant clauses of Pakistan’s constitution, called the Constitution of 1973 (though it’s obviously been amended many times since it was instituted):
http://www.pakistanconstitution-law.com/const_results.asp?artid=41&title=The%20President
Its a start and big service towards democracy. Pakistan has suffered a lot under Military dictators they did a lot of harm in 60+ years that it needs decades to undo their misdeeds. There are no infrastructure in Pakistan where industry or agriculture can flourish and yet Islamic parties still have sympathizers in establishment everyday they try to degrade democratic leaders and blame them for all the problems from lack of food to electricity shortage. But people know what is better for them and President Zardari’s approval rating increased after this amendment.
BTW Pakistan has to go long way its battling with these goons
On Saturday evening, a group of female students of FMS were taking snaps in the Engineering Block when Abdullah, accompanied by others, appeared to preach them against photography, declaring it haram. He then slapped and reportedly kicked a girl from the group and humiliated them. Source and this happened not in some remote area but in a large Islamabad University. And please tell these journalist to call us men and women not male and female, Argh!.
Former President and dictator-for-life said once of the Pakistani constitution: “it’s just a piece of paper.” This statement has not lost its relevancy.
These changes are only valid until the next coup. And given Pakistan’s history it’s not a question of a coup occurring, but when it will occur.
This amendment sounds like a promising step forward for Pakistani democracy. Any changes that makes Parliament stronger versus the President can only be a good thing. I’m amazed that Zardari was forced or convinced into limiting his own authority.
As for the issue of the renaming of the NWFP, I don’t think it’s a good idea to name provinces after particular ethnic groups, as this gives legitimacy to ethno-nationalism. The Pushtuns are not even the majority in the provincial capital of Peshawar, where there is a substantial population of Hindko speakers. I wish that a name had been chosen which had less potential of alienating the non-Pushtun population.
I am in vehement agreement with Jimilu above.
When the subcontinent, this includes India, can get over its trivial hangups — such as colonial era names — and address its actual issues — such as tribalism and us-vs-them mentality resulting from our need to divide ourselves in just about every way possible — only then will we finally begin to move forward.
I’m embarrassed to be from an ancient culture that has been so strictly divided for so many generations that it’s actually detectable in our genetics: see
Hmm, the link didn’t come through: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v461/n7263/full/nature08365.html
Does any of you kid yourself that these paper charades are going to make any real difference here? Only until the next dictator/zealous army general/wife-assassinating-politician/Islamic-fundamentalist comes along and continues the saga of lawlessness in a failed state. The world has to move away from Sharia, from narrow & negative interpretations of the Quran, from Islamic clerics having any political power, from women being discriminated against, before any such lawless country can ever see modern light/democracy/peace. And you think any of this can ever happen in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, the entire narrow-Islamic world?
I don’t think so the 18th amendment will solve the problems of the ordinary citizen of Pakistan.Apparently this will benefited ruling
elite.Common people face with energy crisis increase inflation security threat and very difficult circumstance to survive.Pakistan
needs miracle.
Thanks Amardeep.
t is unprofessional and irresponsible for journalists such as Ansar Abbasi to mislead the public by misinforming them of the facts. I should have been studying for my exams instead of writing this article. But since what was written in the newspaper was so outrageous and deceiving, I am going to be getting an earful from my parents about procrastinating on my academics. Thanks a lot The News!
http://ahraza.wordpress.com/2010/04/24/ansar-abbasi-misleads-public-on-18th-amendment/
“I’m embarrassed to be from an ancient culture that has been so…”
Why be embarrassed? What culture’s hands are clean? What culture has the moral upper-hand?
may be a good thing. Unlike other places(outside of africa) one group did not annihilate the other group.
Thanks AHR for the Article link. Now once again it has proven that The News and Jang Group which includes Geo network are Gen Zia followers since all other parties including PML(N), ANP and MQm are big supporters of 18th Amendment. I’ve a hunch that CJ is too belong to that group.
Africans are the ones with the highest genetic diversity, “With the exception of the autosomal RSPs, in which an ascertainment bias exists, all systems show greater gene diversity in Africans than in either Europeans or Asians. Africans also have the largest total number of alleles, as well as the largest number of unique alleles, for most systems.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1288178/
Washington Pst “Africans are more genetically diverse than the inhabitants of the rest of the world combined…”This is an absolute landmark. It’s incredible,” said Alison Brooks, a professor of anthropology and international affairs at George Washington University. “It’s the most comprehensive document ever published describing the very complex issue of African genetic variation.” She added, “There’s been so much genetic analysis that’s been so Eurocentric.” … Brooks, of George Washington University, said the report will help resolve academic debates among archeologists and linguists: “The study shows that single sources of data, whether from archaeology, oral history, genetics or linguistic similarity, are not sufficient to understand the complex history of an African region — one can be transmitted without the others, and each has a different story to tell about the past.” ” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/30/AR2009043002485.html
20, #21: Not sure what point is being made here. The reason for Africa having the greatest human genetic diversity is simply that humans have been there longer than anywhere else.
If the US stays, terrorism will unravel Pakistan.
If the US leaves, Pakistan will go broke.
Reform is the only way out if Pakistan wants to exist.
I believe that there would have been riots in Khyber Pakhtunkwa/NWFP no matter what they renamed it to. The people there are always rioting for something or another. Regarding alienating peoples who are not part of the ethnic-majorities: All provinces within the sub-continent are multi-ethnic, and every state/province is named after the majority ethnic group from Sindh, Punjab, Kerala, and Bengal/Bangladesh.
However, by renaming this province as Khyber Pakhtunkwa, I believe that this act could foster a pan-Pashtun nation, and later on, Pashtun expansionism. For many decades, the Pashtuns have resented Islamabad rule, and they have always wanted their own separate homeland to be called “Pakhtunkwa”.
“Africans are the ones with the highest genetic diversity, “With the exception of the autosomal RSPs, in which an ascertainment bias exists, all systems show greater gene diversity in Africans than in either Europeans or Asians. Africans also have the largest total number of alleles, as well as the largest number of unique alleles, for most systems.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1288178“
That and the second post was in response to this:
@11 “I’m embarrassed to be from an ancient culture that has been so strictly divided for so many generations that it’s actually detectable in our genetics: see “
@12 “Hmm, the link didn’t come through: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v461/n7263/full/nature08365.html Allele frequency differences between groups in India are larger than in Europe, reflecting strong founder effects whose signatures have been maintained for thousands of years owing to endogamy.”
The different reaction to the diversity of genes in Africa, compared to India. I found the following part in the earlier post from the WaPo article to be refreshing, and perhaps this attitudinal change should also happen for India.
“”There’s been so much genetic analysis that’s been so Eurocentric.” … Brooks, of George Washington University, said the report will help resolve academic debates among archeologists and linguists: “The study shows that single sources of data, whether from archaeology, oral history, genetics or linguistic similarity, are not sufficient to understand the complex history of an African region — one can be transmitted without the others, and each has a different story to tell about the past.” ” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/30/AR2009043002485.html
Sameer, you are being way too cryptic–what are you really trying to say? Just say it. I think the point here is that as Africa is the origin for humans, there’s all kinds of human genetic material there, whereas outside of Africa there’s less, b/c of “founder effects”–i.e., small bands left to populate the rest of the earth, so the rest’s population reflect that less genetic material than is “out there” (in Africa) got through those “bottlenecks.” While in India the stratification reflects the presence of different endogamous groups over the centuries. It’s not some “unfair” celebration of African diversity and condemnation of India–it’s just two very different histories. I don’t think that endogamy is, in principle, either “good” or “bad.” It would depend on its macro-level effects, I suppose.
Bringing this back to Pakistan and the NWFP, the Hazara’s really are different, (from your generic desi) so are, for example, the Kalash. The Hazaras were horribly oppressed by the Taliban in Afghanistan, so I understand their suspicion of the Pakistan Taliban, oops, I mean Pakistan Pashtuns in NWFP. At least RAW is sorting things out now in Afghanistan for us.
No matter what, Pakistan will explode or implode. Either way, it will be an interesting event to watch.
NWF is “occupied southern Afghanistan.”
Pakistan proved that Islam does not create a country.
Inshallah, Pakistan will implode into it’s respective ethnic corridors like the former Soviet Union.
Khuda hafiz my Afghan watandara in Pakistan!
For those who diss Pushtun nationalism, the creation of Bangladesh has been a model for Pushtun nationalists. Pakistan has always favored Punjabi Muslims at the expense of other Muslims. Pakistan has always been ethno-chauvinist from its inception. Iran and Afghanistan love India mote than Pakistan. Afghanistan existed before British consolidation of the subcontinent and the Mughals were reduced to obscurity.
As much as I hate the Taliban, the Taliban have never relinquish the dream if a unified Afghanistan.
Afghans must unite, Pushtun, Hazara, Uzbek, Tajik, Turcomen, and Persian. We are NOT Desis. We are South Asians, but we are a unique group on the subcontinent.
I feel sorry for the Sikh obsession with their lost homeland in Lahore. Even if Sikhs can be Islamiphobic, I can understand their prejudice against Muslims.
@ Shilpa,
Don’t diss the second largest ethnicity in Pakistan, the Pushtuns. We outnumber Sindhis and Kashmiris in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.
Islamabad has ignored the Pushtuns and the NWF is underdeveloped. Our people are ignorant, the Punjabis have ignored us and failed to integrate us in their country. Now the Taliban, given birth to Pakistan to colonize Afghanistan, has wrecked havoc in the cities of the Punjab. Now terrorism is at the foot steps of Indian-controlled Punjab, the wealthiest region in Bharat.
The US prsesence is good for Afghanistan, it makes us less enslaved by the Punjabis.
Well, all it will take to reverse such Amendments is another coup. I might be sounding pessimistic or even simplistic. But certain aspects of human nature cannot be overcome by laws.
Its too bad that there is not much serious discussion about this topic (nicely summarized by Amardeep). The fate of pakistan is specially important to indians and afghans. I dont think pakistan is going to split/fall apart/vanish, even if sometimes that seems the only positive way forward, so we are left with the question of discussing what the steps forward could be.
Two years ago when Zardari was unanimously elected president by the country’s National Assembly, Senate and all members of the four provincial legislatures, he had promised that he would work to amend the country’s constitution so that no future president was able to dismiss an elected parliament or usurp power. At the time few people believed he would do what he was promising. After all, who in his right mind gives up power, willingly?
Zardari has proven all his critics wrong and in doing so has changed the course of Pakistan’s history. The man lampooned unfairly by the country’s powerful establishment the media, the generals and the judges as “Mr Ten Percent†has in fact given “One-Hundred-and-Ten Percent†back to the country. While the nation celebrates, still in disbelief that anyone at the top was willing to curtail their own powers, his critics in the armed forces and the judiciary are foaming with anger, unable to stop him from enshrining democracy as an immutable reality in Pakistan. The country’s Punjab-dominated judges and generals, though smarting from this setback, still wield the power to undo this historic development. In fact, as he signed the document, President Zardari did not shy away from suggesting there may still be some generals lurking in the shadows who may stage a military coup with the backing of the judiciary.
The rioting is not by the Hazara community, it is by the Hindko-speakers in Hazara, NWFP/K-P/watchamacalllit. Hindko is part of the Indo-Aryan spectrum of languages streching from Chittagong to Peshawar. Hindkowans used to be called Punjabi-Pathans, or just plain Punjabis.
There is no link to the Hazara community in Afghanistan, or their Pakistani cousins who tend to live in the Quetta-area. Hazara speak Dari, not Hindko. Hazara may have formerly lived in Hazara, NWFP/Sarhad/Backwardistan, but they do not anymore.
There is also a group of Hindu Hindkos, called Hindkis. They no longer live in Pakistan, but may be found in Afghanistan. Possibly in the Bamiyan area, where you could call them non-Hazara from Hazara living in Hazarjat.
26 · Shilpa on April 25, 2010 5:47 PM · Direct link . . . Bringing this back to Pakistan and the NWFP, the Hazara’s really are different, (from your generic desi) so are, for example, the Kalash. The Hazaras were horribly oppressed by the Taliban in Afghanistan, so I understand their suspicion of the Pakistan Taliban, oops, I mean Pakistan Pashtuns in NWFP. At least RAW is sorting things out now in Afghanistan for us.
Shilpa,
I believe that you’re confusing with the “Hazaras” from central and northern Afghanistan with the “Hazarewals” of the NWFP who speak a dialect of Punjabi called Hindko.
The Hazaras of Afghanistan are Shia Muslims, and they claim descent to Mongolian invasions of the 1200s by Genghis Khan and all. They have slight Eastern Asian features as well as Caucasian features, such as freckles, brown/red hair, and even blue/gray eyes. For some reason, people only focus on the Hazaras with more Asian features. These Hazaras are very badly treated, and they were the victims of an ethnic cleansing by the Taliban in the mid-to-late ’90s. In the “Kite Runner”, the half-brother, marginalized character is a Hazara who is a rape-victim.
The Hindko-speaking Hazarewals of Pakistan are not a disrespected or repressed minority. Imran Khan, the famous Pakistani cricketer of the ’80s, was a Hindko Pashtun.
31 · Mustafa on April 25, 2010 10:07 PM . . . Islamabad has ignored the Pushtuns and the NWF is underdeveloped. Our people are ignorant, the Punjabis have ignored us and failed to integrate us in their country. Now the Taliban, given birth to Pakistan to colonize Afghanistan, has wrecked havoc in the cities of the Punjab. Now terrorism is at the foot steps of Indian-controlled Punjab, the wealthiest region in Bharat.
The US prsesence is good for Afghanistan, it makes us less enslaved by the Punjabis.
I don’t agree with your assertion that Punjab is the “the wealthiest region in Bharat.” This honor goes to Gujarat and/or Maharashtra, depending on where you get your news source. Punjab is definitely doing well, however, in Indian standards.
Also, the Taliban may be very close to the India-Administered (IA) Punjab. However, this situation is not different from the previous 63+ years since Partition that the IA Punjab is next to enemies. However, Rajasthan, Gujarat (which is very close to Karachi which has a big Taliban element), Jammu/Himachal Pradesh, etc. are all close to terrorists, hijackers, Laskhar-e-Taiba, etc. Therefore, it’s not such a big deal that the Taliban maybe physically close to the Punjab, since the Taliban are also close to Gujarat and other bordering areas as well.
Ikram and boston_mahesh, thanks for the clarification. I was indeed conflating the Hazaras and the Hinkowans/Hazarewals.
Al beruni, I try to be optimistic about the future of Pakistan, I really do. They do have nuclear weapons, so it’s not as if some outside power is going to mess with them. Well, although the US drone-war is starting to concern me that things are on a scarily similar path to what happened in Cambodia (takeover by obscure zealots) after the US started bombing that country back during the Vietnam war.
The problem with Pakistan is a nationalism based on Islam. As a Muslim, Islam rejects nationalism and Pakistan has already been partitioned with the birth of Bangladesh.
When I attended the Islamic Center of Southern California, where some of the influential masjid board of directors are Pakistani Punjabis, they lamented about Pushtun nationalism and historical gripes of the Afghan people in general regarding Baluchistan and NWF.
In the American Muslim community, Pakistanis are quite influential in many major multicultural urban Islamic centers. Therefore, when politics is discussed, a sort of anti-India agenda seeps through. Since 1971, Pakistan went away from its secular nationalism to a religious form of nationalism, and with the fall of the Taliban and the puppet government of Karzai given a blessing from DC, Afghans even in America hold dear to the idea of a united Pushtunistan. Of course, not all Afghan Americans are Pushtuns and many in America speak Farsi or the eastern dialect of Persian (Dari). However, all Afghans can agree that the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is a colonial one and artificial one.
The state-sponsored terrorism of Pakistan is now turning against Islamabad. The frequent attacks in Quetta, Karachi, Peshawar, Islamabad, and Lahore are a testament to this. Obama has killed more Afghans and Pushtun Pakistanis in the NWF with drone attacks than Bush, the “Imposter.”
The Achilles Heel of Pakistan are the Pushtuns. I don’t endorse the acts of civilian murder and slaughter. I don’t endorse the defamation of the name of Islam. However, in some sense, the problems of Pakistan are poetic justice.
Muslims in the subcontinent must reject Saudi overtures of Islam. I was aghast when I went to Hyderadad and saw Desi women in black abayas and niqabs! In Andra Pradesh, in the heart of South India’s Muslim community, the Saudi influence on theology, ritual practice, and notions of gender modesty had been Arabized.
Even the greeting of Khuda Hafiz (Khudafez in Farsi/Dari) is now being corrected by these Muslim missionaries to Allah Hafiz.
Mustafa,
Was it easy for a Pakistani-American like yourself to visit India?
Did you know that in India, there are many places with Pashtun descendants? Hyderabad, AP, is one example, and so is Rohilkhand in the North.
Indians have a lot of respect for the Pashtuns.
boston_mahesh, why this slave mentality? Your mind is still colonized. Respect the Pashtuns?? Do you know about the crimes of the Pashtun tribals against Indian women and children when they invaded Kashmir in 1947-48? Admire the Japanese or the Americans, not the Pashtuns.
@ Boston,
I found India like the United States, you have your vocal “lunatic fringe” but they are mostly harmless. Because of my fair skin color, my trips to India go relatively smooth. Pushtuns live throughout India, so I was always able to find a local host family to treat me with dinner after Jumaah prayers. However, Britain’s “Asian problem” is largely due to Muslim youth alienating themselves from the general society and converting to a form of restrictive, radical Islam that is anti-everything. I hate Britain, I find the Asian Muslim ghetto there intolerable.
I feel more free to be a gay Muslim in Pakistan than in Britain. In Britain, you have these informal gangs of Muslim youth who act like “religious police” and dictate how to behave, how to dress, how to avoid fraternizing with women, and what is “Islamic” and what is not. In Britain, I will wear a shalwar kameez and Nooristani Afghan wool cap, not because I like “traditional Pakistani” dress but because “looking Muslim” gives me a sense of freedom and autonomy from the “religious police.”
India is not a perfect society though. But what country is, the success of India is its commitment to secular nationalism despite those who would want to make India a Hindu nationalist state.
Jinnah in his vision of Pakistan, was short-lived and sadly never materialized, he stated,
“In any case Pakistan is not going to be a theocratic State to be ruled by priests with a divine mission. We have many non-Muslims –Hindus, Christians, and Parsis –but they are all Pakistanis. They will enjoy the same rights and privileges as any other citizens and will play their rightful part in the affairs of Pakistan.”
“We should begin to work in that spirit and in course of time all these angularities of the majority and minority communities, the Hindu community and the Muslim community, because even as regards Muslims you have Pathans, Punjabis, Shias, Sunnis and so on, and among the Hindus you have Brahmins, Vashnavas, Khatris, also Bengalis, Madrasis and so on, will vanish. Indeed if you ask me, this has been the biggest hindrance in the way of India to attain the freedom and independence and but for this we would have been free people long long ago. No power can hold another nation, and specially a nation of 400 million souls in subjection; nobody could have conquered you, and even if it had happened, nobody could have continued its hold on you for any length of time, but for this. Therefore, we must learn a lesson from this. You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place or worship in this State of Pakistan.”
“Now I think we should keep that in front of us as our ideal and you will find that in course of time Hindus would cease to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims, not in the religious sense, because that is the personal faith of each individual, but in the political sense as citizens of the State.”
Even though I may have regrets about political partition after independence, Baba-e-Qaum was a progressive, forward, and Westernized Muslim elite of his day. Now sadly, throughout much of the Muslim world, a defensive lunatic fringe is undoing the work of three generations ago.
@ Shilpa,
You expose yourself to be a bigot. My harsh criticisms of Pakistan do not discount the many Punjabis who are good people like Amardeep. Even in my masjid, I am close to many Punjabis even if I regret the course of Pakistan.
Pushtuns historically have done some egregious things in the course of Indian history, but we not the only “guilty as charged” party.
@ Shilpa,
I feel truly sorry for you. You are one of the reasons why South Asians in this country may never become a force politically. It is bad enough that politics is shunned, but even more so when we stereotype all Pushtuns be they in Iran, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, or in the West.
Talking about history is not bigotry, Mustafa.
Mustafa / Gustavo…can you keep the handle in one blog story, otherwise it gets confusing…
Gustavo. Mustafa,
I meant to say, can you keep the same handle
I don’t know what to make of this statement. It’s akin to saying Indians have a lot of respect for Brazilians. It’s a gross generalization. It’s neither here nor there, and it could be true or false. Who knows?
42 · Shilpa on April 26, 2010 2:12 PM · Direct link Indians have a lot of respect for the Pashtuns. boston_mahesh, why this slave mentality? Your mind is still colonized. Respect the Pashtuns?? Do you know about the crimes of the Pashtun tribals against Indian women and children when they invaded Kashmir in 1947-48? Admire the Japanese or the Americans, not the Pashtuns.
Shilpa-bhan, I base my views on the fact that there seems to be a lot of social benefits of a caste in South Asia, especially India, to have had origins in present-day Afghanistan. For example: Karhade Brahmins, Saraswat Brahmins, Kamboj/Kamboh, Nandas, Kodavas from Kannada, Nagar Brahmins, Lohanas, Hyderabadis from AP (not Sindh), and even Nairs from South India all claim to have ancestors from Afghanistan.
Also, who didn’t rape Indians? Uzbeks, Aryans, British, Portuguese, Greeks, Iranians, various Turkic dynasties, and Brahmins have committed various crimes within India. By the way, the latter actually institionalised the rape of virgin girls at temples called deva dasis.