A Nuclear Identity

Quite an interesting article. However, its not very hard to figure out the reason behind the ``lack`` of a Pakistani identity . If you chop off an arm from the body, how much identity the chopped arm will be left with.

For decades, or even centuries, vested interests have been trying to brainwash Muslims of Indian subcontinent that they are racially and culturally different from the ``Hindus`` of India. Different people soaked up this theory for different reasons. For a big majority it gave them a huge feeling of self-respect.

Hindu or Vedic culture was born in the same region where today’s Pakistan stands. People of that culture expanded eastwards and southwards and populated the today’s India. The inhabitants of present day Pakistan, being at the junction of different civilizations, were perpetually at conflict with the cultural onslaught from the west and north. For a long time the ``Hindus`` of that region faced the onslaught but around 1000 AD they started to loose out. Slowly but steadily people converted to Islam. The conversion was primarily a survival mechanism. The ruling class converted to get a position in the court of new rulers, traders converted to escape the taxation of non-Muslims and many must have been product of rape and abductions by the invading soldiers. At the same time some small amount of voluntary and thought out conversion can’t be ruled out too.

This kind of defeat where one looses one’s religion by force can be highly traumatic to he psyche of whole populace. In such situations, human mind works out variety of defense mechanisms. One very popular belief in Pakistan is that though some of the Pakistanis are descendents of the converted low-caste Hindus, but the majority of them are the direct descendents of Arabians, Turks, Mogals and even Mongols. In fact the more a person is dark complexioned, the more is his fervor in claiming an Arabian ancestry and more the person can be expected to be an Indian-hater. More a Pakistani feels inferior or defeated, the more he takes the Islamic fundamentalist tone to compensate. That is simply an attempt to merge in the small minority of people who really are the descendents of the victors in that ``old war``.

Its so pathetic to see Pakistanis lionizing Ghauri, Abdali and Ghazni as the great warriors. They may be great warriors all right, but these were no Pakistanis. They were Afghans who conquered and subjugated the ancestors of Pakistanis. Same thing goes for other Pakistani cultural symbols. Pakistan has rich languages like Punjabi, Sindhi and Pushto. But all of these were superceded by Urdu when it came to selection of a national language. To Pakistanis, Urdu gives a feeling of belonging to the victorious Mogul invaders. Who wants to be associated with the defeated sindhi or punjabi!!! Same goes for clothing. Shalwar Kameez is a distinct Afghan symbol. In India it is commonly referred as ``Pathan suit``. In their zeal to associate themselves with the victorious Afghans, Pakistani men have started wearing this dress en-masse. The lack of creativity in male dressing in Pakistan is appalling.

It is amusing to see Pakistanis claiming Iran to the fraternal country. Though any genealogical examination will prove beyond doubt that Pakistanis share lot more genes with Indians than Iranians, but like an ostrich Pakistanis will close their eyes and claim to be brothers of victorious Iranians. Just read the Pakistani news papers and the note how many times Iran is referred as the fraternal country. (never mind the fact that Iranians don’t think very highly of Pakistanis)

Frankly not much identity is left if one discards its own culture, heritage and ancestry. Before blacks in US regained their self-pride they also used to act like Pakistanis. It was fashionable in blacks to lighten their skin color, mimic white culture and in generally ``act white``. Only when they realized that ``black is beautiful`` an identity of Afro-Americans was formed.

Its time that Pakistanis come to grips with their past. They have to accept their ``Hindu`` heritage proudly. They were not ``defeated``...they were just the ``victims``...

Bohat Khoob.

It was a good read.

One thing that I`ve come to realize is that one cannot explain Pakistan to people in this country,

not because we are limited by a linguistic barrier, but because a lot of us do not want to.

I say this as someone who was brought up in Pakistan, and came to this country for higher education, as such I do not have the need to explain every action that my country takes.

for example religion..I grew up with it all around me, the sound of an Azaan does not seem out of place, the call to prayers is just that..A call to

prayers. If I want to go I`ll go, if not then I won`t. I can go to any mosque anywhere to pray,

from the various Mosques in Karachi, to ones in

Multan and surrounding villages, all the way upto

Khyber. I was brought up in a country of my own, with faces that I grew to know intimately.

This is not to say that I am unhappy here in the

states, on the contrary, I like the educational

system here and have made friends, and amongst

friends I have no problems talking about my country (both what I like and do not like).

However many here do not know much about our culture and religion. The impression that most have about people of Pakistan is one that is created by what they read/hear in the news. And herein lies the problem; when faced with a blatant distortion of `truth`, do I try to correct it? and if so how do I put things in perspective? My solution..why bother? chill and let chill..by observing us, let people make up there own mind. Trying to explain/justify everything Pakistani is futile, and a waste of energy.

Someone once asked ``Sufi chist?``

the reply wuz ``Sufi Sufi`st``

( Please forgive my romanized farsi )

peace

Malangg

Very interesting and well-written article. I think you are correct to point out that Pakistan`s identity in the world rests on few things, not necessarily all that we are proud of. Although there is a profound ignorance, lack of interest and a tendency for generalizations regarding Pakistan in the media, I think the fault lies equally with us Pakistanis. In my opinion we have failed in two important respects:

First, we have failed to invest in our people and our land so that we have achievements that we can be proud of. And second, we have failed to convey to the people of the world what we are proud of.

In the absence of both of these things, no wonder that we are considered to be just another ``third world`` country, with no identity of its own.

In a way, the Nuclear Identity that you mention is a result of a significant investment in its pursuit. If we could have spent an equal amount of money on education, social services, infrastructure and research (combined), we could have established another, more glorious, identity for us, the identity of an Asian tiger.

It is applaudable that Pakistanis have much to be proud of. But it is the image of themselves that Pakistanis have created in the US, and in other countries such as Norway and Denmark where, a white American intellectual--a friend of mine, nevertheless--told me with much frankness and as much contempt, they are ``visible`` and ``disturbing``. Political Correctness does not apply to Pakistanis, as you correctly say, evidenced by Jerry Seinfeld’s degradation of Pakistanis in his show, something he would not do to the black community, not to mention his affable treatment of the (East) Indians in one of his episodes. Why Pakistanis? Should the Pakistanis blame the British government`s policies if a survey in Britain showed that Pakistanis there, on average, are the least educated, earn least of all ethnic groups and are at the bottom of the social barrel. The Indians there, on the other hand, on average, the most educated and highest earners, even higher than those of the whites, and hence are respected more than any other non-white group in Britain? It is how we project ourselves. As one TV ad says, Image is everything.

Re: Wasiq, Reply 2. Right on the money!

Even when harping on our few glories, is`nt it ironic that we claim relics of the past which all these neo-fundamentalists of our country are trying to erase. The irony does not start with claiming the linga and cow worshipping Harappa and Mohenjodaro as our past ``by virtue of its current location`` nor does it stop with the claiming of the hindu-vedic-buddhist Gandhara civilisation as our culture while the theologians of our nation are trying to eraze our indian-hindu past, as if all of us have been transported in from Arabia. And while sticking to location as the criteria we still have to hark back to the Mughal`s for solace. Wonder when we would proclaim the TajMahal as our national monument.

Aren`t all these pointers to the fact that nuclear bombs or not, pakistanis and Indians have too much in common for fifty years to eraze..... a difficult proposition

-

murtuza

Very interesting reading. But where is Yasmeen Ghauri? Cant leave her out.
Soon (hopefully)to add the Sufi Rockers ``Junoon``
and others to the list.
The American public still misses BB and Nawaz
Sahib just cannot look that good on Magazine
covers.

Ras