The alleged racial profi ling of Pakhtuns in the heartland of Punjab is a serious issue that disturbs common man in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata.

The issue was ignited at a time when the General Headquarters launched the Raddul Fasad operation to eliminate hardcore militant outfi ts from the country, especially Punjab.

The racial profi ling has become a hot topic that ultimately overshadowed the Raddul Fasad operation.

The nationalist, federalist and even religious party like Jamaat-i-Islami pounced on the issue like owl swoops down on the rabbit.

The Raddul Fasad aims at eliminating terrorist outfi ts from the country, especially Punjab.

Without realising its repercussions, politicians in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are capitalising on this sensitive issue.

They are making attempts to score political brownie points ahead of the general elections, which are in sight.

Political parties irrespective of their ideologies are trying to revivify the 70s era when the public meetings of nationalist forces were reverberated with the slogan bashing Punjabi Istemar (imperialism).

But like all vested interests, the way politicians are dealing with this issue is both petty and self-serving at the peril of dividing a deeply polarised society along ethnic and sectarian lines.

Two wrongs don’t make a right and to reciprocate Punjab’s bigotry, threatening to fire Punjabi officials serving in the provincial government will only rob us of any high moral perch we may have in this controversy.

Awami National Party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan stated that Pakhtuns reserved the right to expel Punjabis from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.Three days ago, he asked the prime minister to order judicial inquiry into the ‘racial profiling’ of Pakhtuns living in Punjab.

His party’s parliamentary leader in KP Assembly, Sardar Hussain Babak, warned if the Punjab government did not stop the victimisation of Pakhtuns in the province, the people in Peshawar, Mardan and Charsadda had the right to expel Punjabispeaking people from KP.

The ANP sent its own ‘fact finding team’ to meet shopkeepers and businessmen in Lahore.

The ANP leaders might not realise that such rhetoric and offensive remarks hurt the feelings of the people, who migrated from Punjab to Peshawar and other areas of KP decades ago and have socially integrated in Pakhtun society.

They live like Pakhtuns and speak Pashto.

The ANP, which has a vote bank in Peshawar valley, always tries to exploit Pakhtun nationalism.

However, the mainstream party like Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf also jumped on the bandwagon.

Its leaders in KP adopted a harsh tone on the issue despite the fact that the PTI has a strong presence in the Punjab Assembly.

Chief Minister Pervez Khattak instead of meeting his counterpart and taking up the issue through proper platforms preferred to meet Pakhtun shopkeepers in Lahore.

The Jamaat-i-Islami is also trying to cash in on the alleged racial profi ling of Pakhtuns in Punjab.

Similarly, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has long been accused of focusing largely on Punjab in terms of its development outlay is trying to become a Punjabi nationalist party after the Feb 13 Chairing Cross, Lahore, bombing.

The statements of the Punjab law minister are adding fuel to the fire.

The alleged racial profi ling of Pakhtuns is a serious issue but one needs only to look at the state of common Pakhtuns in their own lands.

This is a misconception that the people of KP are victimised in Sindh or Punjab and live better in Fata, KP or Balochistan.

The Pakhtuns have long been suffering in their own lands.

They lived a miserable life under the previous ANP-PPP coalition governments in the province and centre.

For instance, Ameer Haider Hoti was the chief minister when the electric supply to Jalozai Camp inhabited by thousands of internally displaced persons from Fata was suspended.

The supply of electricity was later restored on the directives of the Peshawar High Court.

Similarly, the Sindh government had banned the entry of the IDPs.

The Pakhtuns are suffering in Peshawar and elsewhere in KP during the PTI-JIQWP coalition, too.

The police are conducting midnight raids on houses in Peshawar and take citizens to lockups only to show progress in the National Action Plan.

The police had banned the roaming of Fata IDPs in Peshawar during Muharram in 2015.

Banners were displayed in Peshawar that entry of Afghan refugees and IDPs and their roaming around in the city is banned.

Every political party is highlighting racial profiling for political point-scoring.

The surge in racism, rising tide of nationalism and linguistic hatred can be more dangerous than the Talibanisation for the federation.

The politicians should protect fundamental rights of citizens but should refrain from the Balkanisation of the country.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2017