Misleading observations of Imran Khan have time and again exposed his incompetence, his paucity of wisdom, his scarcity of knowledge of history, and his farsightedness as a leader. He has been famous for exaggerating and twisting the facts and distorting the historical realities. In his speech to the United Nations general assembly and then in his interview to the middle east eye a digital media organization in which he blared the TTP as a Pashtoon centric organization and that the Pashtun as a nation supports the Taliban because of common nationality.
Lexicologically, the term Talib is an Arabic word that means a student. The word appeared in the world scenario when the Taliban emerged in Afghanistan in the 1990s. So, linking the Taliban to only Pashtoon nation is just a contortion of the word.
Historically, when we trace the foundation of the Taliban as a movement, it was started in Afghanistan under the leadership of Maulana Muhammad Umar as an ideological movement. The Taliban fought in Afghanistan against the Pashtoon warlords until they occupied the capital city Kabul. Later on, the movement started battling against other ethnicities in Afghanistan. The Taliban until 15th August 2021, had fought against Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani, as the Taliban consider them as American allies.
There is no doubt that when the 9/11 incident took place and America demanded the extradition of Al Qaida leaders including Osama bin laden, the Taliban refused to do so and sacrificed their government for a non_Pashtoons fighter, which reflects the commitment of the Taliban with their ideology rather than ethnicity. This reality throws the controversial remarks of Imran Khan in the dustbin.
When it comes to the TTP in Pakistan, the polemical remarks of Imran Khan have no historical roots__which was also negated by the TTP in a statement that the TTP does not belong to one nation but it is an organization of different ethnicities. Again. After the twin tower episode, Pashtoon as a nation has suffered the most. They have been displaced, killed, and wounded. Their business has deteriorated with special reference to the pathetic security situation in ex_Fata. A Pashtoon nationalist party ANP has brunt the cost of this war by sacrificing thousands of leaders. Apart from this, Pashtoon leaders, Aftab Khan Sherpao, Mulana Fazal Rehman, Asfand yar Wali Khan, etc have faced suicidal attacks time and again. These pieces of evidence prove that Pashtoon has been the victim of war, not the sympathizer.
According to Salim Safi, Punjabi Taliban had been a part of the TTP once. Nevertheless, according to the official website of NECTA, there are 68 banned organizations in Pakistan, and the TTP is one of them. Posturing an organization as the representative of the whole nation is just throwing dust on historical facts.
Neither all the Taliban are Pashtoon nor every Pashtoon is a Talib. The Taliban is an ideological phenomenon while Pashtoon nationalism is a separate aspect of Pashtoon society. The controversial comment of Imran Khan is nothing else than warping of facts.
- Two Khans: The Epitope of Pashtun Unity - 13/05/2023
- Imran Khan’s Immature Tirade - 14/03/2022
- The PECA Ordinance - 25/02/2022
