Taliban, Real and Imagined (original) (raw)
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2016
The Taliban phenomenon is often studied through the prism of fundamentalism, political Islam, and jihadism without analysing the historical authority patterns of Afghan society. The Taliban emerged from within a network of the Islamists who resisted the Soviet occupation. It is also assumed that the Taliban‟s Islamic ideology is deeply rooted in their Pashtun culture. There may be a certain amount of accuracy in all of these assumptions, but any single supposition is not sufficient in trying to make sense of the „Taliban‟. The Afghan Islamists and Taliban might have taken ideological and logistical support from external actors, but their existence and survival is based on their acceptability by Afghan society. It is argued here that the Islamists and Taliban‟s desire to rule over Kabul has been the outcome of a historic struggle of the religious class for power. This article contends that suitable grounds for Afghan religious leadership were prepared long before the emergence of the...
The Talibanisation of Pakistan's Western Region 1
2009
Ever since the invasion of Afghanistan by the United States and its allies in 2001, there has been a strong resurgence of pro-Taliban elements in Pakistan’s bordering provinces with Afghanistan. The Durand Line which was delineated at the turn of the century segregated tribes and clans in such a manner that even families were divided. Its sanctity (legality) was never accepted by either the Afghan or Pakistani tribesmen. The Afghans/Pathans/Pakhtoons/Pashtoons form almost half of Afghanistan’s population and more than 15 percent of Pakistan’s population, Apart from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), where they are a majority, they reside in the western provinces of the NorthWest Frontier Province (NWFP) and Baluchistan. However, due to several factors, including their ethics code known as Pashtoonwali, they wield influence out of proportion to their numbers in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. The FATA, a belt along the border, has been autonomous even before the advent of...
Resistance in disguise and the re-construction of identity: a case of the Pashtuns in Pakistan, 2020
This ethnographic encounter explores the historical, cultural, and political erasure faced by the Pashtuns in the formal educational institutions of Pakistan. Besides this erasure, Pashtuns are seen as a suspect community in the metanarrative and state discourse of Pakistan. This study aims to provide an insight into ways that a group of Pashtuns resist the popular hegemonic narrative of the state and provide an alternative narrative using spaces which this study calls “informal spaces.” Qualitative research methods, including indepth interviews, participant observation, and informal discussions are used to collect data in the informal spaces that how the Pashtuns encounter the assimilationist project of the state. Findings show that the Pashtuns are stereotyped and suspected irrespective of their class, regional and tribal affiliation. Their historical and political figures are erased in the formal textbooks, and their language and cultural attire are synonymously and interchangeably equated with the Taliban and terrorists in popular media. Facing this marginalization and stigmatization in the metanarrative, a group of the Pashtuns resist the popular image somewhat James Scott terms as “resistance in disguise.” This study suggests that, for the nation-building project, the state must follow an inclusive and democratic approach that includes the historical, cultural, and political existence of the Pashtuns.
Pakistan’s “Tribal” Pashtuns, Their “Violent” Representation, and the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement
SAGE Open, 2019
The tribal Pashtuns of Pakistan, based in the Afghanistan–Pakistan border region, have historically been portrayed as “violent” and “warrior-like,” both in the colonial and contemporary literature. However, a brief review of archival literature suggests that oriental representation of tribal Pashtuns is based on various generalizations that were formed and propagated during the British military expeditions against the tribal Pashtuns. Moreover, these generalizations and stereotypes against the tribal Pashtuns have persisted since Pakistan’s independence in 1947. Recent developments in Pakistan’s Pashtun tribal belt, with various tribes convening Jirga meetings, condemning and countering militant activities and protesting against the state’s injustices explain the importance and desire for peace among the tribal Pashtuns. Finally, a brief analysis of the recently started Pashtun Tahafuz (protection) movement (PTM), an indigenous peace and human rights movement involving both men and women, and its nonviolent nature also reinforces the importance of peace for the tribal Pashtuns.