From: jamalin@newton.ccs.tuns.ca (Nadeem Jamali)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.pakistan
Subject: Re: Muhajirs/CSS/Urban/Rural Sind.
Date: 22 Jul 92 19:26:54 GMT
Organization: Technical University of Nova Scotia, Halifax, N.S.

In article <1992Jul21.135724.57389@cc.usu.edu> sl57h@cc.usu.edu writes:
>I am an avid reader of soc.culture.pakistan news group. I read it because it
>reminds me of my beloved country, the country which I miss very much. But
>sometimes or rather more frequently I get to read postings, the context of
>which is not very friendly towards one language group or another (within
>confines of Pakistan). I just want to impress upon the persons who post such
>articles that, whether we like it or not, we i.e., Sindhis, Muhajirs, Punjabis,
					   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>Pathans and Baluchis have to live together. So let's make it a happy living.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>By scrathing a wound no matter how deep or shallow it is, one can not hope to
>heal it.
>
>Hassan
>

A very destructive approach... Not that we shouldn't try to achieve harmony...
but ignoring the problem. Talking about grievances does not amount to sacrilege.
If there is friction between distinct entities, denying their distinctness
amounts to an automatic denial of existance of any friction... This way no one
thinks about a solution. Discrimination may be considered as a basic essential
ingredients of any thinking process. That is why, recognising "muhajirs"
as distinct from say Panjabis is essential. I must re-emphasize that I am using
the word "muhajir" for those people who claim "muhajir"-"nationality".

If we must live together (which I believe we should), it aught to be on the
basis of respect for everyone's rights... Considering options other than
living together the way we are living currently does not amount to sacrilege.
Secession is not the only answer... the easiest solution may to give people
their rights. But to assume that people will get things according to what
their rights are, in the current state of mistrust, is too much to assume. The 
only way to ensure this is by implementing what Nawaz Sharif proposed when
he was the Chief Minister of Punjab province... converting Pakistan into a
confederation. The fact that states had voted to join a _confederal_ Pakistan
and that there hasn't ever been a vote to convert Pakistan into a federation,
means that Pakistan as a federation exists only as a misconception. There
aught to be a referendum in each state to decide if it wants to join a 
federation.

One of the reasons problems in Pakistan have reached this level is that 
we deny the existence of these problems in the name of national unity. We
have created a myth about Pakistan. We have to understand that it is the 
people of Pakistan whose betterment aught to be the objective... we must
stop worshiping idols of nonexistent notions. These idols have to be broken.
THERE IS NO REASON TO LIVE TOGETHER OTHER THAN A SHARED INTEREST. And there
are interests natives of Pakistan share. Even "muhajirs" can choose to share
whatever they like to have exclusive privilege to. Sharing things according to
some agreed-upon just policies is what can be expected to lead to harmony in
Pakistan. Let Pakistan be the Pakistan our forefathers... my forefathers...
faught for... otherwise, there won't be anything left except pain and misery.

Nadeem

-- 
Nadeem Jamali                                     jamalin@newton.ccs.tuns.ca
						 
School of Computer Science			  
Technical University of Nova Scotia		  (902)420-7882