Ethnicity Research Paper

Running head: ETHNIC DIVISION AND PROBLEMS1 1

Ethnic Divisions and the Problems related to the division

Fahad Waseem

Hamza Muhammad

Muhammad Numan Saddiqui

Sachal Saleem

Sannan Jahangir

Ms. Rameeza Aslam

Language, Culture & Society, A

SSC 206

June 29, 2011.

Lahore School of Economics

Ethnic Divisions and Problems2

Abstract

Pakistan was established in 1947 and was one of the biggest Islamic nations at that time.

The fight for the national language started between the provinces at that time and is still

continuing. This research paper covers all the causes and consequences of the ethnic differences

between the Pakistani nations along with their solutions. This research paper comprises of all the

discussion and the analysis of the data regarding these problems. We will be covering the

definition of ethnicity, Different ethnic types, what constitutes a Pakistani Nation, Can an official

or territorial nation exist with such diverse ethnicities and ethnicity as a dividing factor and many

other important questions as research on this topic have never been done before. So this research

will fill the lag currently present.


Acknowledgements

We owe a great many thanks to a great many people who helped and supported us during the

writing process of this research.

I would sincerely like to thank Ms. Rameeza Aslam, the guide of this project, for the attention

and care that she devoted to this porject, for correcting our various mistakes and suggesting more

and more improvisation. She has taken pain to go through the assignment and make necessary

correction as and when needed.

To Dr. Muhammad Javed Siddiqui (Ex. MPA of PPP) and Mr. Khaleeq Nazar Kiani (DCO

Chaman, Baluchistan) for their cooperation and allowing us to take the interview

To the General Public of Pakistan, for their selfless cooperation and sharing their precious time.

To our friends, who have been unselfishly extending their efforts and understanding?

To our parents who have always been very understanding and supportive both financially and

emotionally.

And above all, to the Almighty God, who never cease in loving us and for the continued

guidance and protection.

The Researchers


There are many ethnic groups in Pakistan. The basic ethnic division in Pakistan is based

on demographic regions. The major ethnic group in Pakistan includes Punjabis, Sindhis,

Pashtuns, Sariekis, Balochis, Muhajirs, Chitralis and other small groups. Before coming to the

ethnic problems of Pakistan it would be helpful to define ethnicity first. Ethnicity is derived from

the Greek word 'ethnikos'; which referred to (a) non-Christian 'pagans' (b) major population

groups sharing common cultural and racial traits; primitive cultures. Pakistan was established in

1947 and was one of the biggest Islamic nations at that time. The fight for the national language

started between the provinces at that time and is still continuing. This research paper covers all

the causes and consequences of the ethnic differences between the Pakistani nations along with

their solutions. This research paper comprises of all the discussion and the analysis of the data

regarding these problems. We will be covering the definition of ethnicity, Different ethnic types,

what constitutes a Pakistani Nation, can an official or territorial nation exist with such diverse

ethnicities and ethnicity as a dividing factor and many other important questions as research on

this topic have never been done before. So this research will fill the lag currently present.

This research proposes to study the major problems of Ethnicity and to find out the causes

behind these problems, to find out what improvements have taken place in the past.

The scope of this research is to cover all the major problems that the Ethnicity Groups are

currently facing like Movement of Hazara Province, Saraiki Province, Bhawalpur Province and

the Movement of the independence of Baluchistan in all over Pakistan and then to find out what

steps can be taken to solve these problems.

Literature Review

Mr. Farhan Hanif Siddiqi writes about that ethnic factor played an important role in

Pakistan history. Pakistan, being a multiethnic state, needed to evolve an adequate system of

representation and a just and equitable distribution of power and resources in order to maintain

ethnic peace and harmony. However, the dominance of the state structure, especially the

bureaucracy and the military, by one or two ethnic groups, tended to augment ethnic tensions and

violence (Siddiqi, 2002). Which caused the Bengali movement and since it was not taken care of,

it resulted in the separation and thus Bangladesh emerged on the map. Similarly many other

ethnic movements started soon after the separation of Bangladesh but it was forcefully


suppressed by the government with no room for accommodation and compromise thus causing

problems and tension among different ethnic groups. The Blochi, Sindhi, the proud Pathans

didn’t liked how the situation was being handled and how the military is imposing its rule and

not realizing what effects would it have in the future. Baluchis are divided into several tribes and

clans and organized on the lines of traditional semi-feudal Sardari System. After the Chagai

nuclear tests by Pakistan in june 1998, some Baluchi students hijacked one PIA plane to register

their disapproval and draw international attention to the prevailing sense of discrimination in

pakistan against Baluch people and Baluchistan (Singh, 2001). Today Pakistan stands at a stage

where it could lead fallout among the different groups, leaving Pakistan weak internally.

The author describes how ethnic grouping is now considered to be due to based on

language. However he says that in past ethnic grouping was not based on language but rather on

the basis of closed knit tribes that occupied a certain area for example in Punjab the people were

not always known as Punjabi but were divided into Pahari, Jangli etc. on the basis of where they

lived. The author explains how it was only after the British appeared in India and the

communication got better did the people started to recognize the ethnic classification on the basis

of language. He suggests it was rather introduced deliberately by British conquerors as language

based ethnicity is a modern phenomenon that is used to pursue political power (Language and

Ethnicity in Pakistan, 1997). However he says that in past ethnic grouping was not based on

language but rather on the basis of closed knit tribes that occupied a certain area for example in

Punjab the people were not always known as Punjabi but were divided into Pahari, Jangli etc. on

the basis of where they lived. He also suggests that in a close small-scale society everyone

usually prefers to retain one's cast. However, as these people move to larger societies the need to

appear better off May makes them take up the caste name of the upper class.

Research Questions

Primary Research Question

Has ethnicity been a dividing factor in building up a Pakistani Nation? What are the

reasons behind this and how can this problem is solved?


Subsidiary Research Questions

Q1:- What is ethnicity? (Fahad)

Q2:- What constitutes a Pakistani Nation? (Hamza)

Q3:- Can any national nation exist with such diverse ethnicities? (Hamza)

Q4:- Is ethnicity a dividing factor? (Nauman)

Q5:- What are the reasons behind the division? (Nauman)

Q6:- What measures can be taken to eradicate the problem? (Sannan)

Q7:- What are the roles of the politicians in these ethnic divisions? (Sannan)

Q8:- What are the differences in ethnicities about the division of current provinces? (Sachal)

Research Tools

The research tools are field study, distributing questionnaire; and then finally taking

interview from the Dr. Muhammad Javed Siddiqui (Ex. MPA of PPP) and Mr. Khaleeq Nazar

Kiani (DCO Chaman, Baluchistan).

Field study is a general source of data collection in which the data will be represented on

the basis of our personal experience in the same field.

Most of the secondary data and information is obtained from electronic sources, annual reports,

news papers, articles, case studies, books, and journals.

Analysis of Data and Discussion

What is Ethnicity?

Ethnicity denotes to a group of individuals who have their own shared common

characteristics which differentiate it from others within a society. They have distinct cultural

behaviors and ethnic values as far religion, politics, occupation or language is concern.


In modern days ethnicity is considered to be the most influential way of interaction between

cultural groups and strategic position of power within a society. As a result of the searching the

ways in which they can organize themselves politically, a special emphasis is put on traditional

cultures and all an array of symbolic strategies which provide them with proper mechanisms for

distinctiveness and political align.

Behavioral ethnicity is the process of learning values, belief, behavioral norms,

languages or distinctive dialect, by the member of ethnic category during the process of

socialization. They use these social values as their basic interaction manifestation.

Ethnicity is different from race. Race is socially constructed physical differences

drawn among a group of people having different shared ethnic values. For example “Asian”

category is treated both the ethnic group and racial group in historic past. If an Asian individual

is living in U.S, his ancestry is considered as ethnic identity. However, the Asian is also

recognized as a racial category which points toward the problem of usage of term ethnicity and

race.

An ethnic group is a community of people who share cultural or physical

characteristics including historical, political, religious, geographical origins, myths, behaviors,

food, physical features and language. Some people assume ethnicity as group of people who are

in minority in the country and they are living a poor life and it to show their identity. For many

people, their ethnic identity is an important part of who they are.

Major Ethnic Groups in Pakistan

Punjabis are multi ethnical group of people, and can be divided into sub groups. Punjab

has been conquered by Arabs, Persians, Turks and Afghans in historic times. They reason behind

their strong colloquial bond is the sweet language they speak that is “Punjabi” and it has different

dialects that vary from the region to which they belong in Punjab.

Pashtuns sometimes called (pathans) are the Pakistan’s second largest ethnic group which

are natives of west of Indus river. Karachi is the largest populated area having mostly Pashtuns


and then comes Peshawar. Pshtuns are in greater number tha in Afgahnistan. They practice a

unique code of conduct refer to as Pashtunwali and basically comprises on tribal structure,

Sindhis basically inhabits in province of Sindh. They exist along the Indus River and

derived the name Sindh which they inherited from Indus Valley Civilization.

Balochis are settled in in western side of Pakistan. They constitute 6% of the total

Pakistan’s population. 44% of the population of Balochistan comprises of Balochis.

Muhajirs are multi talented ethnic group of people who have descendants from Arab,

Turks and Afghans. They are basically migrants who came from Central Asia and Middle East as

soldiers, bureaucrats, traders, scientists, architects etc. most of the muhajirs are Pashtuns 30-

35%.other than pashtuns they include Bokras, Memons and Ismailis that spoke Gujarati, Memoni

and kutchi languages. The uniting factor of Muhajirs is Urdu language.

Seraikis believed to be the transitional group of people between Sindhis and Punjabis.

They are basically settled in southern part of Punjab. They have an amalgam of Sindhi and

Punjabi.

What constitutes a Pakistani Nation?

Pakistan consists of different kind of societies, in which every kind of people live. In

Pakistan four Languages are mostly spoken, Punjabi, Sindhi, Saraiki and Pashto. Due to these

languages living regions also divided into different parts .Punjabi is the biggest language of

Pakistan with the fact that 44.15% of ethnic of Pakistan are speaking in Punjabi. Before the

partition, Punjabi was mostly spoken in north eastern area. Mostly Punjabi live in Punjab and

they have its own identity because of their region. But Punjabi language does not only spoken in

punjab .There are different Punjabi dialects and along with place where mostly speaks Majhi

(Gujranwala, Sialkot), Jhangvi (Khanewal and also includes Faisabad), Shahpuri

(Sargodah ,Mandi bahawaldin and Khushab) and Hindko.

Saraiki is 2nd large language that is speaking in Punjab. But Punjabi has their own identity

in every aspect. They have different culture like living style, clothes, literature, poetry and many

other things


In sindh, mostly sindhi is spoken. Sindhi is provisional language of Sindh. Sindhi has

also different culture. Sindhi is second most spoken language of Pakistan after Punjabi. Round

about 41 million people spoken sindhi in Pakistan. Holly Quran is first translated in Pakistan in

Sindhi language, that is why sindhi has also a strong religious factor. That is also seen in Sindhi

culture and poetry also. Sindhi poetry is based on mostly sufi-izam. Other different languages are

also spoken in Sindh like Lasi Kutchi and Thari. These languages have small spoken area in

Sindh.

In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, mostly spoken language is Pashto. Region of this language is

Afghanistan because it is mostly speak in Afghanistan and it is the national language of

Afghanistan. Pashto is provisional language of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Round about 15.42% (25

million) people of Pakistan spoken Pashto language. These other languages are

Chitrali, Kohistani and Hindko. These languages are also practice in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

In Baluchistan province, Language that is mostly practice is Blochi. Blochi is provisional

language of Baluchistan. Pashto is also speaks in Baluchistan in different areas. Blochi is

basically nearby Northwestern Iranian. In our agencies (North Waziristan and South Waziristan),

mostly people speaks Pashto and Blochi languages.

Our national language is Urdu. Urdu is a mixture of different languages like Punjabi,

Arabic, Farsi, English and different other languages. Speakers of Urdu in Pakistan are only

7.57%. In partition Language (Urdu) was also a big factor but it is real fact that this language is

not spoken so much and understood by the vast majority, including a majority of urban dwellers

in such cities such as Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Islamabad etc.

English is international language. People are adopted English language very fast and

official communication is also done through in Pakistan. It is the fact that Urdu is our national

and official language but now English takes place Urdu and in every Govt. department, English

has more importance than Urdu. In Pakistan, 10.97% of people speak English.

Can any national nation exist with such diverse ethnicities?

Pakistan is composed of many different ethnicities as explained earlier but the main

problem that still remains is that we are not able to move together as a single unit whatever the


reasons may be that is another question but the main question is can any country with such

diverse ethnicities exist?

Provincialism created doubt amongst our people, which resulted in a race for rights

amongst provinces. Bengalis, Punjabis, Pathans, Sindhis and Balochi came up as major ethnic

groups amidst which “Pakistan” was buried and is still buried. As Pakistan is composed of many

different ethnicities and most of them are fighting with each other while saying that their rights

are ignored by the ethnicity that is in majority there are many nationalist movements in the

provinces like Baluchistan. This is the dilemma of our society that after 63 years of

independence we are still fighting on the basic ethnic issues which should have been solved at

the very start.

Consider the example of our neighbor India. India also got the independence at the time

when we got. They didn’t break; they have been running their country perfectly well. India is one

of the biggest economies of the world. They have progressed a lot since independence as

compared to us. The reason being that they have been able to unify their country whereas, we are

still Punjabi and Pathan we are not able to unite as a single unit. The reasons for that will be

explained later. There are also many other countries, consider South Africa it consists of people

belonging from many different ethnic group. South Africa hasn’t split up they are together as a

unit. They have also progressed a lot in the recent time. Initially they faced many serious crisis as

the problems between the different ethnicities were raged but as the time went by the country

settled and the ethnicities started to settle down an cooperate with each other for their individual

as well as the progress of the country. We can never solve our problems social, political and

economic until or unless the evil “Provincialism” is removed from our hearts.

If Pakistan is to survive as a single unit then it is necessary that we must be a single unit

that is the only way Pakistan can flourish and prosper if we can remove the individual

differences. We have to inculcate the word Pakistani in our selves instead of Punjabi, Balochi,

Pathan etc. We must follow the golden principles of Islam and what our Prophet P.B.U.H taught

us and we must remove the differences between us. The biggest reason for our demise is that we

have gotten away from our religion which is a big mistake by us and if we follow the golden

principles of Islam we can be on the top once again and one of the points is removing the


individual differences present between us. We have been slapped on our face many times but we

are still into deep sleep. Because of provincialism we got split up in 1971 with our east wing now

called Bangladesh and still the mistakes of the 1971 incident haven’t been eradicated the reasons

of this will be given later and the detail of the hole incident will be given later We are still

making those mistakes but the fact is that we can be united as a single unit and a nation with such

diverse ethnicities can exist.

Dividing Factor

There is a crisis of national integration in Pakistan since its birth. It is the victim of poor

national integration. Lack of integration in Pakistan is a major problem and it has been subjected

to comment by intellectuals in the country. Due to lack of national integration in the country,

Pakistan has been pushed to a violent circle. It has made Pakistan a regretful state of affairs, and

a pivot of terrorist's activities. That has deepened the state of instability and helplessness to a

total breakdown of state equipment. This was not the case at first. This nation was the

consequence of unity and integrity and its basis Islam. The Quid-i-Azam, the father of nation

gave the motto to All Indian Muslim League running on in the terms of Unity, Faith and

Discipline; it has been rather unfortunate that after the death of Quid-i-Azam, the country was

left isolated. The national integration was thrown out of the national dictionary.

Usually, Pakistan's ethnic mixture has been defined in terms of the existence of the four

historical "nationalities", the Punjabis, Sindhis, Pushtoons and the Balochistan. In recent times,

however, a political party representing the Urdu-speaking people in Sindh has demanded the

"nationality" status for its group, while there has been a constant demand from a division of the

population in Punjab for the recognition of Saraiki-speaking people as a distinct "nationality.

Income inequalities, social injustice, political clouts and other evils are also present in the

society. All of that made national integration weak. Moreover, the present condition of the

country is not better as well as it should be. There is lack of consensus on crucial national issues

in Pakistan. Therefore, provinces hatred does not show the sign of reduction. Sindh, Khyber-

PukhtoonKhawa and Balochistan accuse Punjab to be the exploiter for certain reasons. Sindh,

Khyber Pakhtoon Khawa and Balouchistan do not compromise for the construction of Kalabagh

Dam. They have different view points to the division of resources. There are also certain hurdles


which stand firmly in way of national integration in country. The major issues in ethnic conflicts

are sovereignty, allocation of resources, inter-province migration and language & culture.

Reasons

Before going to the ethnic problems in Pakistan we first have to study the backgrounds of

the Pakistan movement. The Pakistan movement was led by the Muslim league under the

leadership of Quaid-e-Azam. The movement of the Muslim league was to make an independent

Islamic state as opposed to the secular state idea advocated by the Indian national congress. The

idea of Islamic state overstepped all other secular concerns and Pakistan came into being on 14 th

august 1947. After the existence of Pakistan unfortunately Islam did not act as the biding force

among Pakistanis. The ideological foundation of Pakistan as a unified Islamic state has not yet

taken roots in the mind of Pakistanis. The lack of consensus among the people of different

groups is the major problem who seeks to impose their view on the people of Pakistan. The

founding fathers of Pakistan hoped that the cementing force of Islam would maintain the

integrity and unanimity of the country despite the presence of many ethnic groups.

According to survey that we have conducted the most people think that the main reason

of ethnicity is language (see Appendix-D). The ethnic factor has played a key role in Pakistan's

political history. Pakistan, being a multiethnic state, needed to change an adequate system of

representation and a just and equitable distribution of power and resources in order to maintain

ethnic peace and harmony. However, the dominance of the state structure, especially the

bureaucracy and the military, by one or two ethnic groups, tended to augment ethnic tensions and

violence.

Dr. Muhammad Javed Siddiqui (Ex. MPA) says that ethnicity war is due to individualism

and racialism whose history dates way back. Human want that he, his family and his ethnic

group should emerge as the strongest, that’s why ethnicity concept came into being (Personal

Communication, 2011).

Only the society based on tolerance, equality and justice can be the real guarantee for the

prosperous and strong Pakistan. Every citizen should love this country, its people, its rivers,


streams and the green fields where farmers testify their existence with each stroke, each touch of

earth. James Bryce had once said “Our country is not the only thing to which we owe our

allegiance. It is also owed to justice and to humanity. Patriotism consists not in waving the flag,

but in striving that our country shall be righteous as well as strong”.

According to Mr. Khaleeq Nazar Kiani (DCO Chaman, Baluchistan), the reason of ethnic

division is due to unequal distribution of wealth and injustices from establishment. Examples of

Sui gas field which provide major source of gas to Pakistan but locals residing there have not

access to the gas. Most of the wealth goes to Punjab. Various development projects are being

carried out in Punjab, but the rural areas of Khber-pakhtunkhawa and Baluchistan are being

overlooked for a long period. No electricity, roads and houses for most of the population in

Baluchistan (Personal Communication, 2011).

They are keeping us busy taking us away from our principles and values. They are trying

or have succeeded in creating such miss understandings among us and the worst part is that we

don’t even know it. So the best weapon that we can have against them is to unite, come together.

Leave our differences, respect each other and come together for ONE PAKISTAN. If we will do

this then we can take it back to the level that it belongs.

Measures to eradicate this Problem

Before partition no one can deny that the Muslims of sub-continent were being exploited

on the basis of Religion. Majority of Business was being held by one particular ethnic group.

And this siege was widening day by day. While Hindus and the Hindu populated areas were

being educated, industrialized, and developed, Muslims populated areas were being ignored.

Therefore, it was quite natural that the Muslims of sub-continent demanded a new

country comprising of Muslim Majority areas. Pakistan has a very rich and elaborate past dating

back centuries. The roots of Pakistan were strong enough to unite the ethnicities on the basis of

religion Islam. Pakistan was created by the people of Pakistan to realize their common aspiration.

Their vision was a country where edicts of Islam govern every aspect of life. The quest for

realization of this vision is the cement that unites this nation. After the advent of Pakistan ethnic

differences started increasing because people started prioritizing their specific ethnicity over


Nationalism. Pakistan movement was very strong in Muslim minority provinces; where Muslims

feared Hindu domination most. Pakistan, however, was created in the Muslim majority Provinces

of northwestern India and Bengal. Ethnic, linguistic and cultural distinctions set them apart.

Dr. Muhammad Javed Siddiqui says that education is important when it comes in

understanding and awareness but in Pakistan we see education as a mean of attaining degrees

like e.g. I am MA, BA. Etc. if it’s like that then Karachi is the most educated city. What we need

is to give them education in a way so that the people learn how to live side by side each other

(Personal Communication, 2011).

Punjabis are the largest ethnic community in Pakistan and they mostly live in Pakistan.

Their population in Pakistan is around 90 million which is the 56 percent of total country

population. The main thing is that Punjabis have the biggest share in economy. They are

prioritizing in Government, army trade and politics.

Sindhis are the second largest community in Pakistan. They make up 24 million out of

the 170 million populations. The province has always been very sensitive as far as ethnicity is

concerned. The province has had a history of ethnic riots between Sindhis, Pushtuns and

Mohajirs. Sindh is basically a multi-lingual province and most of the sindhis are involved in

agriculture related businesses as they reside in villages.

The reason for the clashes between the ethnicities is Different history, language, culture,

Colonialism and imperialism. Economic modernization and social change is separating people

from their local identities. Physiographical characteristics are also one of the dividing factors in

Pakistan.

According to Mr. Khaleeq Nazar Kiani (DCO Chaman, Baluchistan), the problem of

ethnicity is more severe. It can be curbed by the rule of law by not letting any sort of

discrimination on the basis of ethnicity. Some steps include fines, sentence to jail etc. (Personal

Communication, 2011).

There are no simple and easy measures to solve the ethnic conflicts. When we talk about

the people of Pakistan meaning 17 crore people as a whole, for us the strongest bond that can

keep us united is with a doubt Islam but if we talk about different sections with in Pakistan then


for them there are different bonds that keep them together. And that sense of togetherness only

activates when they fear of an external foe. So for some people language is the uniting force, for

same certain locality and for some tribal loyalties. Hence one can find diverse reason for partial

unities but when it comes to permanent bond between the people of Pakistan and the Ummah its

only Islam and nothing else.

Other thing is that if the state treats different ethnic groups of the state equally and do not

deprive them of their rights then this evil can be eliminated. Tolerance, patience and respect for

all colors, races, ethnicity and religions can hold us together and remove ethnical differences. We

have to eradicate the discrimination that is present at all levels in our society. Every ethnic group

must respect other ethnic group so that the proudness can be eliminated. Preference must be

given to the underdeveloped and deprived ethnic group of Pakistan. Annual budget must be

made according to the needs and deserving f specific ethnic group or province. They must be

same law for every ethnic group and one group must not be prioritizing on other on the basis of

power.

Roles of Politicians

Before we examine the role of politicians about ethnicity in Pakistan, we will have to

search for its roots in the Pakistan. Ethnicity started by Muhammad Ali Jinnah from the grass

root level in Pakistan. Existence of Pakistan is the biggest example of the role of politicians in

the history of Pakistani ethnicity. The main purpose of all this is that, the history of Pakistan

started with the ethnic controversy and role of politicians in this.

Role of politicians after the existence of Pakistan was separation of Bangladesh. In

Bangladesh division, the role of politicians was unforgettable, who politely solve that

controversy. When the Pakistan was established, the Bengali Hindus were very close to their

Hindu neighbors. Bengali Muslims was different from Hindu Bengalis. Khawaja Nazimudin also

play key role in solving that controversy. But at last, Pakistan had to separate Bangladesh but the

role of politicians of Pakistan was commendable.

Now the latest controversy in Pakistan which was the proof of our politicians that what

our politicians are currently doing to control the ethnic division in Pakistan. I am talking about

the NWFP controversy, the PML-N and the ANP are inching towards an agreement to rename


the NWFP as “Pukhtoonkhwa-Abaseen” and a final decision would be announced in this regard

soon. According to sources in both the parties, the ANP had already showed flexibility on its

demand of renaming the NWFP as Pukhtoonkhwa and even agreed on the names of ‘Afghania’

or ‘Pukhtoonistan’ but the PML-N was demanding the affix of “Abaseen’ or “Khyber with

Pukhtoonkhwa to satisfy the people of Dera Ismail Khan and Hazara belt, where Saraiki or

Hindko dominates, respectively. The PML-N claimed that a consensus was evolved on the

thorny issue of the NWFP renaming, whereas the Awami National Party (ANP) expressed its

ignorance regarding an agreement in this connection. PML-N Senior Vice-President Saranjam

Zamindar, said the two parties had agreed on giving a consensus nomenclature to the province.

Now the main purpose of this controversy was that, the people who live in NWFP all are

Pashtuns and they should be recognized by their race and the name of the province (NWFP)

should be “Great Pashtunistan”. Pashtuns have been campaigning for their name and identity for

the last 63 years peacefully not a single incidence of violence can been attributed to their

peaceful struggle. So the conclusion of this controversy was, the bill of this controversy passed

in parliament and NWFP came into existence as the name of “Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa” in 2010.

After that, the people of Hazara division raised their voice that they also want to live in a

separate and independent province and this controversy is still continued.

There is another controversy of southern Punjab where people and politicians like

Muhammad Ali Durrani (PML Q) said that we also want separate province like Khyber

Pakhtunkhwa and the name of our province will be “Bhawalpur Subba”. Government did not

separate that province yet.

To conclude that, we can say some politicians have done great job for their country but

many of them opposed to control the ethnicity and made reason of ethnicity and many politicians

trying to take part in division of Pakistan. So our opinion is that our politicians should sit

together and make plan to control ethnicity in our country so we can live together and

independently.

Division of Current Provinces


The conflicts between different ethnic groups rose just after the death of main leadership

of Muslim league. After the death of Jinnah and Liaqat Ali Khan, the Muslim league was heavily

Mohajir dominated. Out of top 27 major position including PM, 18 positions were controlled by

the Mohajirs. And due to their dominance they had the biases with Muhajirs and Punjabis.

The combination of Muhajir and Punjabi leadership did not like the Bengali dominated

Pakistan so they were against Bengalis. And there was a big gap between east and West Pakistan

in terms of rituals and customs. Due to the discrimination Bengalis were separated from Pakistan

in December 1971. The ruling political elite in Pakistan were against the demands of different

ethnic groups for the provincial autonomy. The elite temptation to take any demand for

provincial autonomy is like a mischievous conspiracy to divide and disintegrate Pakistan.

Different separatist movements have started in Pakistan due to heavy discrimination,

rampant corruption within the ranks of the government and bureaucracy, and economic

inequality.

The largest separatist movement in Pakistan is going in Baluchistan. The conflict

between the Baluch nationalist and government of Pakistan is ongoing since 1948. In 1948

Baloch nationalist claimed that Pakistan army forced Prince Abdul Karim Khan to give up his

state Kalat. After that Prince Abdul Karim started the separatist movement against Pakistani

government and he conducted a war against the Pakistan army. Many other parties joined him for

the creation of ‘Greater Baluchistan’. The second conflict arose in 1958 when Nawab Noroz took

up arms in resistance to the government policy of the reduction of tribal leaders in government.

The third conflict arose in 1963 by Nawab Khairmarri when Pakistan army started building

military bases in the key areas of Baluchistan. The Nawab Marri also made their bases across

Baluchistan to fight against the army. Their goal was to share the revenue generated by the oil

gas fields.

In 2004 the conflict arose when the Balochi leaders Akbar Bugti and Mir Balachmarri

presented 15 point agenda to the government in which they demanded the control over the

resources of province and moratorium on the construction of the military bases. In august 2006

Nawab Akbar Bugti was kiiled in fighting against the Pakistani armies. Up till now the


Baluchistan issue is out of control. No serious efforts are made to control and resolve the issues

of this large ethnic group.

Sindhudesh is another separatist movement led by GM Syed in 1972. He wanted to Sindh to

become an independent state like Bangladesh. Another movement of Pashtunistan is a proposed

state for the ethnic Pashtuns. But these movements are not strong now days.

Another Pashtun separatist movement proposes the separation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

by abolishing the Durand line. This idea advocates the joining of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with

Afghanistan, which would mean creating ‘Greater Afghanistan’.

Some of the separatist movements have also started in Punjab. There are voices

demanding that Punjab should be divided into three parts. The one movement is led by the

Nawab of Bahawalpur while the other is led by the Legharis of Dera Ghazi Khan. Both of these

movements wants that their area should be given the status of province. There is another demand

for a Sereiki province. They demand 19 districts from southern Punjab and 2 from Khyber

Pakhtunkhawa. Dr. Muhammad Javed Siddiqui (Ex. MPA) says that there is no need to make

new provinces; instead what we should do is to give them equal rights. If they get satisfy then it

will make Pakistan strong. National level politician will not go into divisions as it will be bad for

him. But the regional level politician will discriminate to get his party strong.

Pakistan is a multi-ethnic and a multi lingual country. The problems of ethno linguistic

assertion are not well managed by our ruling class. The resolution of such problems can be done

under healthy democratic environment. And unfortunately Pakistan could not develop a healthy

democratic culture. Another reason behind the assertion of regional identities is poor economic

condition of Pakistan. Pakistan has failed to maintain its economic growth. The ruling elite of

Pakistan has failed to resolve the major issues like economic inequality and continuous chaos

which are now resulting in the destabilization of Pakistan. All of this has effects on regional

aspiration. The government should now become serious because the frustration is simmering

among many groups which may result in damaging the national integrity of Pakistan.

Conclusion


Pakistani nation must unite because we do not have further time to wake up and Unite as a true

“Pakistani Patriot”. We should make trust and believe that we would never ever regret our unity

over ethnic differences. According to our perception, we need to promote Revolutionary steps

immediately on individual basis as well as a Collective Nation.

Geographically Pakistan is a large country with blessed resources. There are “Four” Provinces

but they are still unable to solve economic and social problems in all the regions. Although,

provincialism has done great damage to the roots of Pakistan. If each province is divided

according to different ethnic class then Pakistan can have even 34 provinces. These provinces

would not only be administratively manageable but all weak to demand independence or survive

independently. This attempt, on one hand would kill Provincialism, and on the other hand

strengthen Pakistan politically. There would be no large ethnic group in the shape of Punjabis,

Sindhis, Pathans or Baluchis. The advantage of grouping of provinces to 34 is that the single

strong ethnic group. We would not be strong enough to provide fear to the other ethnic group.

Recommendations

Give quality education to reduce discrimination, and not as way of earning degrees.

Schools and colleges should not create discrimination among students.

The government must treat every person equally.

Government jobs should be open equally to anyone from every ethnic group.

Regional level politicians should not create discrimination when creating parties.

There is a great need to promote patriotism in Pakistan, so everyone should unite under a

single group i.e. Pakistani.

There should a program called "INTER-ETHNIC MARRIAGES" in Pakistan, in which

marriages should be taken place between people of different ethnic group.

Government should take action to create the sense of unity between people, urge them to

stand united under a single flag.

Only the society based on tolerance, equality and justice can be the real guarantee for the

prosperous and strong Pakistan.


References

Rehamn, T. (1997). Language and Ethnicity in Pakistan. Jstor, 37(9), 833-839.

Separatist movements of Pakistan. Retrieved from Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separatist_movements_of_Pakistan

Siddiqi, F. H. (2002). An Introduction to Pakistan's Ethnic and Religious Conflicts.

Singh, S. k. (2001, December 31). Ethnicity and Regional Aspirations In Pakistan.


Appendix A-Interview Questions

Interviewee Questions

Questions for Authority

Q1:-According to you, explain the factors that affect the emergence of minority groups in the

society?

Q2:- Is the establishment contributing towards increase or decrease in ethnicity?

Q3:- What steps are you taking to stop bullying and racial harassment. Are there any support

being provided to such ethnic minorities?

Q4:- What role has education played amongst ethnic variations?

Q5:- Why local politicians are leading towards more ethnic division(demand for Independent

Baluchistan and Saraiki Province) rather than eliminating from our society?

Q6:- The culture is being affected by ethnic variation, what do you think is it cultural

diversification or cultural destruction?

Questions for General Public

Q1:- Do you think Pakistan is divided into ethnic group?

Q2:- Do you think prosperity of Pakistan is distorted due to ethnic division?

Q3:- Are ethnic groups being discriminated or given equal rights?

Q4:- Being a professional/employee do you or people face any barriers in getting promotion due

to their belongingness to the specific ethnic group?

Q5:- Do a certain society, politicians, or establishment supporting a certain race and ethnicity?

Q6:- Do you expect our media to decrease ethnic gaps between groups?

Q7:- With respect to regional ethnicity, are you in favor of forming new provinces in Pakistan?

Q8:- What role has education played amongst ethnic variations?


Appendix B-Questionnaire

ETHNICITY DIVISION AND PROBLEMS

This questionnaire concerns your attitude towards the problems of Ethnicity.

YOUR HONESTY WOULD BE APPRECIATED!

(Tick the box that coincides with your opinion and please tick only one for every answer).

1) Do you consider yourself as belonging to the ethnic group?

a) YES

b) No

c) Sometimes

2) What is your ethnic group? Choose one from section A to D and then tick the appropriate

answer to indicate your ethnic group.

A) Gender

a) Male

b) Female

B) Religion

a) Muslim

b) Hindu

c) Christian

d) Any other………………

C) Geographic Variation

a) Punjabi

b) Sindhi

c) Balochi

d) Pakhtun

e) Saraiki


D) Language

a) Punjabi

b) Sindhi

c) Balochi

d) Pashto

e) Saraiki

3) Is ethnicity a dividing factor?

Yes No Sometimes

4) According to you which is the major reason of Ethnicity?

a) Religion

b) Language

c) Geographic

d) Political environment

e) Other(Specify)_________

5) How intensely do you feel about the concept of “Ethnicity” in Pakistan?

(Tick your number on the scale)

-5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5

6) Does your behavior changes as you meet people belonging to the different ethnic group?

Yes No Sometimes

7) Do you think ethnicity has a major impact when it comes to marriages?

Yes No Sometimes

Averse Indifferent Sympathetic


8) Do you think educated people believe in ethnicity?

Yes No No Opinion

9) How should the problem of Ethnicity be solved or decreased? Through

a) Education

b) By giving equal rights

c) By eliminating Feudalism

d) Awareness through media

e) Any other (specify)____________

10) Are you in the favor of the movements being run for the division of new provinces?

Yes No

11) Is there media creating any ethnicity among the people?

Yes No Sometimes

Any other comments: …………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………

Age:

o 18-25

o 26-45

o 46+

Profession: ………………..

THANKYOU! (This information is required for a research project)


Appendix-C

Lahore School of EconomicsLANGUAGE, CULTURE AND SOCIETY

INTERVIEW SHEET

TOPIC OF RESEARCH: Ethnic Divisions and the Problems related to the division

PRIMARY RESEARCH QUESTION: Has ethnicity been a dividing factor in building up a

Pakistani Nation? What are the reasons behind this and how can this problem is solved?

NAME of INTERVIEWEE: Dr. Muhammad Javed Siddiqui

Designation & Department Ex. MPA PPP

DATE: 19-06-2011 TIME: 07:00 PMPLACE: MultanEthnicity war is due to individualism and racialism whose history dates way back. Human want that he, his family his ethnic group should emerge as the strongest, that’s why ethnicity concept came into being.

Those people who are few in numbers group together for their safety and security.

Serieky people were condemned further and further that’s why they fought back.

These groups are formed because they want their right so that their future generation should benefit from it. Establishment in the past aggravated ethnicity, but now it’s not the same as before.

Punjabis had great influence in the past and still now they are strong since 50 years e.g. they dominate army and so on. Since, Punjabis have gotten so strong that they had created unsettlement in balochies, seriekies and pathans. But now as these low level groups has started to make a stand for them self it is clear that in the future the establishment will not be able to remain one sided

MQM wants that all its opposition should be kept under pressure, but the one who are being suppressed wants that they should not be overly pressurized that it becomes difficult for them

(Continue on next page)

I hereby declare that all the information present on this paper has been honestly shared and can be used for research project mentioned above.

__________________________


SIGNATURE and STAMP (of interviewee)


INTERVIEW SHEET

TOPIC OF RESEARCH: Ethnic Divisions and the Problems related to the division

PRIMARY RESEARCH QUESTION: Has ethnicity been a dividing factor in building up a


NAME of INTERVIEWEE: Dr. Muhammad Javed Siddiqui

Designation & Department Ex. MPA PPP

DATE: 19-06-2011 TIME: 07:00 PMPLACE: Multan

to live. That’s why as a reaction of this there is bloodshed happening in Karachi. But I believe that if they are given the same rights as that of the ruling party then I think this bloodshed can be stooped.

Education is important when it comes in understanding and awareness but in Pakistan we see education as a mean of attaining degrees like e.g. I am MA, BA. Etc. if it’s like that then Karachi is the most educated city. What we need is to give them education in a way so that the people learn how to live side by side each other.

There is no need to make new provinces; instead what we should do is to give them equal rights. If they get satisfy then it will make Pakistan strong.

In Pakistan there is no one culture. Pathans says that have separate culture, they do not believe in Punjabi culture and vice versa. We are a multicultural nation.

National level politician will not go into divisions as it will be bad for him. But the regional level politician will discriminate to get his party strong.


__________________________




INTERVIEW SHEET

TOPIC OF RESEARCH: Ethnic Divisions and the Problems related to the divisionPRIMARY RESEARCH QUESTION: Has ethnicity been a dividing factor in building up a


NAME of INTERVIEWEE: Mr. Khaleeq Nazar Kiani

Designation & Department DCO Chaman

DATE: 24-06-2011 TIME: 09:00 PMPLACE: Chaman

Q: - Is the establishment contributing towards increase or decrease in ethnicity?

Yes sometimes; in the era of Zia ul Haq people belonging to Arain cast were given preference

thus leading to increase in ethnicity problems. Sometimes even in renowned educational

institutions like FSD Agricultural University, there are groups of Arain, Jatt and Guggars. It can

be seen today that various politicians from different provinces fight against each other, some

even demanding separate sovereign state, Baluchistan etc. Issue of Kalabagh dam is subjected to

ethnicity problem. Sindh does not want building of Dam as they think Punjab will get hold of all

the water. Several politicians have view that Punjab is depriving other provinces of their due

share.

Q: - What steps are you taking to stop bullying and racial harassment are there any support being

provided to such ethnic minorities?

In Baluchistan ethnical problem is more severe. It can be curbed by the rule of law by not letting

any sort of discrimination on the basis of ethnicity. Some steps include fines, sentence to jail etc.



__________________________



INTERVIEW SHEET

TOPIC OF RESEARCH: Ethnic Divisions and the Problems related to the divisionPRIMARY RESEARCH QUESTION: Has ethnicity been a dividing factor in building up a


NAME of INTERVIEWEE: Mr. Khaleeq Nazar Kiani

Designation & Department DCO Chaman

DATE: 24-06-2011 TIME: 09:00 PMPLACE: ChamanQ: - What role has education played amongst ethnic variations?

Education has no role; rather it put fuel to stop ethnic variations. However the huge difference of

standards between private and government education has lead to ethnic variations on educational

grounds.

Q: - Why local politicians are leading towards more ethnic division (demand for Independent

Baluchistan and Saraiki Province) rather than eliminating from our society?

Due to unequal distribution of wealth and injustices from establishment. Examples of Sui gas

field which provide major source of gas to Pakistan but locals residing there have not access to

the gas. Most of the wealth goes to Punjab. Various development projects are being carried out in

Punjab, but the rural areas of Khber pakhtunkhawa and Baluchistan are being overlooked for a

long period. No electricity, roads and houses for most of the population in Baluchistan.

Q6 (Ans.) Mixed. The Cultural diversification is leading towards destruction. Different culture

exists in the country. They have different value and norms. They also differ on linguistic

grounds. The sentiments attached to individual culture lead to the formation of many nations

with in the state.



__________________________


Appendix D-Graphs

YES65%NO

5%

SOMETIMES30%

BELONGING TO ETHNIC GROUP


YES60%

NO20%

NO OPINION20%

EDUCATED PEOPLE BELIEVE IN ETHNICITY

YES

NO

SOMETIMES

0.5 1.5 2.5 3.5 4.5 5.5 6.5 7.5 8.5 9.5YES NO SOMETIMES

Series1 8 2 10

MEDIA CREATING ETHNICITY


MALE FEMALE

Series1 11 9

1

3

5

7

9

11

GENDERFR

EQUE

NCY


60%20%

20%

ETHNICITY AS DIVIDING FACTORYES NO SOMETIMES

Yes70%

No10%

Sometimes20%

Impact on Marriages


YES NO

Series1 5 15

1

3

5

7

9

11

13

15

IN Favor OF Movements of New Provinces

25%

20%25%

30%

MAJOR REASON OF ETHNICITY

LANGUAGERELIGIONPOLITICAL EN-VIRONMENTGEOGRAPHIC


25%

45%

15%

15%

HOW PROBLEMS CAN BE SOLVED

Educationby giving equal rightsawareness through mediaby eliminating Feudalism


Yes25%

No35%

Sometimes40%

Behaviour Changes

Ethnicity Research Paper

Documents

Transcript of Ethnicity Research Paper