A QUICK session of internet browsing is enough to find multiple fake quotes regarding the code of conduct that was historically constructed during the British colonial period. The code is based on the notion of personal honour, and promotes courage, bravery, leadership, justice, an independent approach, and hospitality.

The same vocabulary is used by political parties to exploit the Pashtuns. This exploitation includes the recent ‘final call’ politics led by the party leadership from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

Truly, digital platforms have provided empirical evidence of the younger gene-ration’s involvement in national issues, encompassing their perspectives and views on political conflicts. As Generation Z (Gen Z) approaches positions of national leadership, it is imperative to examine the implications of reliance on social media platforms, particularly those with algor-ithm-driven content.

As a Pashtun myself, I find deeply concerning the widespread use of colonial stereotypes, racial slurs and broad gen-eralisations that mark political discourse in the country. The coalition in government as well as the party in opposition, along with mainstream media figures — incl-uding some Pashtuns — are responsible for propagating these harmful and overly simplistic narratives.

The opposition party romanticises the colonial notion of ‘Pashtun bravery’, a reductive and dehumanising concept, while those in power exploit the negative stereotypes, portraying Pashtuns as ‘disorderly’. Even well-intentioned media commentators often depict Pashtuns as ‘naïve’ who get easily manipulated by non-Pashtun elements.

This entire range of rhetoric is offensive, denies the Pashtuns due agency. As a Pashtun, I reject the idea of being inher-ently ‘braver’, more ‘naïve’, or more ‘dangerous’ than the others. I demand the same agency and respect afforded to any Pakistani citizen. To comprehend why Pashtuns have generally been more res-ponsive to the main opposition party’s calls for protests, one should consider the unde-rlying issue of political marginalisation.

Frankly, the mainstream political parties, other than the one in power, have been virtually non-existent in KP over the last two decades. Indeed, the party that is ruling the KP for several years, while far from being perfect, is the only party that has seriously engaged with the province, establishing organisational structures and developing political cadres. The party may not be dependent on Pashtuns alone, but the Pashtuns largely depend on the party for influencing the course of national politics.

Therefore, regardless of one’s political stance, people need to abandon their stereotypical, racist approaches towards Pashtuns, who actually represent an incredibly diverse and large group of people that cannot be reduced to one or two fixed, essential or rigid social categories.

Tufail Dawar
North Waziristan

Published in Dawn, December 1st, 2024