Dawn photo: Abbotabad Riots
Below is my piece that first appeared in Foreign Policy‘s AfPak Channel, a continuation on my previous post that delves more into the party politics that often clouds what the real issues are or should be:
As the 18th Amendment, the constitutional reforms package designed to bolster parliamentary democracy in Pakistan, inches closer to becoming a historic “landmark bill,” one particular part of the legislation has sparked considerable controversy and political wrangling — the renaming of North-West Frontier Province to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Over the weekend, people from the province’s Hazara Division, (who speak mainly Hindko as opposed to Pashto) staged demonstrations, and on Monday, at least seven people were killed and over 100 were injured in Abbottabad when police used force to break up a protest. The demonstrations continued on Tuesday, with Dawn reporting that mobs in Haripur, Mansehra, and Abbottabad (in Hazara) blocked roads, chanted slogans, and burned tires — all in the name of a name.
The bumpy journey to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa did not begin in the last few weeks. The Awami National Party (ANP), the secular Pashtun nationalist ruling political party of the province, has long campaigned for a change to Pakhtunkhwa, even passing a resolution in favor of the development in November 1997, noted The News columnist Rahimullah Yusufzai. The name, argued the ANP, accurately reflects the Pashtun-majority of the region, much like Pakistan’s other provinces — Balochistan, Sindh, and Punjab.
But the PML-N staunchly opposed this label, (officially calling for a referendum last September), claiming the title marginalized other ethnic and linguistic groups in the province, including Hindko, Seraiki, and Khowar-speakers. A deadlock over the name continued, with an array of alternative names proposed as a compromise. While some reflected more neutral geographical areas (Khyber, Neelab and Abaseen) and historical references (Gandhara, the old Buddhist-era name of the region), other noteworthy runner-ups included Afghania, the clandestine ‘A’ in “Pakistan,” coined by one of the earliest proponents of the Pakistani state, Chaudhry Rehmat Ali in 1933.
At the end, hyphenating the name to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa became the compromise everyone could agree on.
Well, almost everyone.
Although Pakistani media outlets televised people in the “province-formerly-known-as-NWFP” celebrating in the streets, the honeymoon period was soon over. PML-Q immediately expressed reservations over the new name, claiming they were not privy to the negotiations between the PML-N and ANP. PML-Q leaders have since criticized both the ANP and PML-N, alleging that PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif supported the new name “for his personal gains,” and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was part of “a conspiracy to divide the province.”
While it would be easy to cloak Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa with the “conspiracy” label, twirl some handlebar moustaches and call it a day, Pakistani politics are never that straightforward. The PML-Q, as Ejaz Haider, National Affairs Editor of Newsweek Pakistan told me, has significant support in the Hazara division, “as is clear from the fact that its candidate was the runner-up in the January by-election in Mansehra.” However, PML-N has a more considerable vote bank in the region, with strong ties to the people of Hazara.
Given that the PML-Q suffered major losses in the 2008 elections, it seems they are trying to remain politically relevant and “capitalize on the emergence of the malcontents at the expense of the PML-N,” noted Dawn’s editorial. But at what cost? Their political provocations have indirectly led to the deaths of innocent people in Abbottabad, and the spread of mobs throughout Hazara. If the party claims to truly represent the interests of the people, it should address the issues that go beyond names and frilly hyphenated labels — the power shortages, the rising food prices, and the unemployment. Even if the 18th Amendment sails through the Senate and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa remains intact, political parties must avoid language that will destabilize the province further. At this rate, a province by any other name would not smell as sweet.
[...] to bolster parliamentary democracy in Pakistan, inches closer […] Read more at: CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan 18th amendment, abbottabad, awami national party, constitutional reforms, deadlock, democracy [...]
The violence over a “name” is indeed a sad incident. Over the past some years, Pakistan has seen much violence in the name of the religion and now we are saying violence in the name of a name. Clearly shows the inclination we have toward aggressive ways of life. Sad indeed.
And every time I think : Can it get dirtier than this?
Pakistani politics.
I think it is a tragic incident fuelled by outsiders. However, I have firm belief that things will improve. InshAllah.
Which outsiders?
Great article, Kalsoom. Thank you for sifting through all the nonsense and providing clarity
Thanks!
Btw, I am not putting the entire blame on the PML-Q – I think there are legitimate grievances by the people in Hazara, but given that Hazara was part of the name debate for some time, it is curious that leaders and politicians are choosing now to capitalize on this discontent. I just think there are more important issues to worry about that go beyond names, and as the Dawn editorial mentioned, the ANP also has a responsibility to explain how or if this new name will translate to reality – if K-P doesn’t mean a reduction of any rights for ppl in the province, that point has to be made. Protesters should be negotiated with or talked to rather than fired on. In this situation, there are a lot of factors to blame.
But in any case, it did become official today – NWFP is now Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. 80 senators voted for it, 12 voted against. Now steps must be made to address the discontent in Hazara:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/07-senate-begins-voting-on-18th-amendment-ha-02
A name has great symbolism and can mean a lot to a community, so I understand the grievances of the people living there. However, I think the tactic of mobilizing political support by exploiting this importance is an unproductive form of leadership and often leads to increased tension, violence, and confusion. But this is not just happening in Pakistan; currently, United States politics has become all about capturing voter discontent, no matter how irrational or emotional. As David Frum posted on his blog after the health care bill passed, “I’ve been on a soapbox for months now about the harm that our overheated talk is doing to us. Yes it mobilizes supporters – but by mobilizing them with hysterical accusations and pseudo-information, overheated talk has made it impossible for representatives to represent and elected leaders to lead.” Political leadership, including Hazara, needs to stop thinking about short-term support and start responsibly handling its constituents grievances.
Samar,
After reading this, another person made the same analogy to American politics today – I shudder to think of Sarah Palin and her statements meant to incite her supporters (ugh the Tea Party), esp. telling Republicans to “reload” after the health care bill was passed. All these moves to capitalize on discontent only fan flames – they are not solutions, and they are certainly not productive.
[...] Abbotabad Riots – In the Name of a Name “ CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan By Kalsoom As the 18th Amendment, the constitutional reforms package designed to bolster parliamentary democracy in Pakistan, inches closer to becoming a historic “landmark bill,” one particular part of the legislation has sparked considerable … changinguppakistan.wordpress.com/2010/04/14/abbotabad-riots-in-the-name-of-a-name/ [...]
What will the riots do to help us. Every time there is a riot in the country we have to face a loss of millions of dollars of loss. The USA helps us by sending so much grant money for these riots but it does not reach the people and the victims. So overall we are to BLAME!!
That sad accident took place because of PML Q leadership and the police. A name was the demand of the majority of the people of a province. ANP is the pakhtuns tribes representative political party, fought that war democratically for the last 62 years. After 62 years, the people of Pakistan gave them their right of identity by their representatives in N.A and Senate. There was nothing wrong for 10 days but when PMLQ head visited Hazara.