The politics of ethnicity and provincialism in Pakistan

I wrote a similar post on ethnic issues in Pakistan. In that post I covered things that advocates of provincial equality do not usually discuss especially in the area of smaller ethnic groups in the provinces of the dominant ethnic groups.

In this post I hope to draw out a clear structural image of how ethnic politics in Pakistan works.

As I grew up, I learned more and more about my country and people and began to fully notice the enmity between Sindhis and Muhajirs also due to the fact that I am of multiple ethnicities myself.

What I also noticed is that both sides also show a contempt for the Pakistani state as much as they show it for one another. In fact they often accuse each other of being the the Pakistani state.

This might sound puzzling to many readers and those unfamiliar with Pakistani ethnic politics. My experience with most upper class elite Muhajirs is usually their regret for immigrating to Pakistan and a passionate love for India and it's people.

They criticize Pakistan day by day accusing Pakistani people of everything from corruption to religious extremism. Many hate Karachi and say they are ashamed of their home city.

What these upper class Muhajirs and others don't realize is they are describing the negativity of their own fellow Muhajirs. As I mentioned in this post the Muhajirs of Pakistan are amongst the most extreme Muslims in the world.

When Muhajir elites complain about Karachi's terrible situation, they do so while ignoring the fact that Karachi has been under their governance over the last sixty years.
So when Muhajirs draw the negative aspects of Pakistan, they are actually describing their own people and the disasters they have brought upon themselves and the rest of the country.

A Nawab who is a close friend of one of my parents claims that he would be millionaire in India had he stayed back. This is despite the fact that the Nawabs were given so much free land in Pakistan at the expense of many Sindhi peasants whom he now accuses of trying to 'steal' it from him.
Also despite that his entire "salary," though incredibly low, comes from the Pakistani taxpayers which has enabled him to survive without having to work ever.

Another rich Muhajir I know via my other parent is also ashamed of Karachi and Pakistan. She hated the in-flight service on PIA and the inefficiency of other Muhajirs- which she like most other Muhajir elites describe as Pakistani people.

And like most Muhajir elites, she also has a respect for India and Indian people. Most of Pakistan's fifth columnists consist of Muhajirs.

This is where the main resentment of the Muhajir elite for Pakistan comes from. They claim they would be better off in India and often denounce the so-called "partition." Why all this when Muhajirs have been given a significant role in Pakistani politics?

They have been given a stronghold over Pakistan's largest port city and a dominant role in the country's politics. They have managed to terrorize Sindhis and other ethnic groups via the MQM (note that many or even most Muhajirs despise the MQM) and live in high wealth and luxury.

My answer lies in their desire for more power and wealth which is denied to them by another entity that stands at the top and that is Pakistan's powerful military which is dominated by Punjabis.

In India, the gap between rich and poor is much higher than in Pakistan. India has the world's largest poor and hungry population in a single country. At the same time India has several billionaires. Pakistan on the other hand has not a single billionaire to my knowledge. And having a smaller population with higher resources, statistically it has a much higher standard of living and a highest income per capita in the subcontinent only behind Sri Lanka.

Many upper class pro-Indian Muhajir fifth columnists often incite us to love and envy India for it's huge economy and billionaires. While trying to fill Pakistanis with envy of not having a high economy they surprisingly don't try to speak the same for advanced countries with small economies such as Iceland or Denmark.

While trying to fill Pakistanis with hatred and contempt for our corrupt military for stealing our country's resources and enhancing their own wealth, these same Muhajir fifth columnist pro-Indian elites try to fill us with admiration of India's billionaires who can hijack society by privatizing everything.

This is trying to make us love and admire another side of the same coin. The reason behind it is the same. While stuck perhaps forever in Pakistan under the Punjabi dominated military that denies them access to ultimate political and financial power, the Muhajirs are feeling missed out on their ethnic brotherin across the border who have more or less complete domination of their society.

Add to that India's much larger and poorer population compared to Pakistan, giving the rich elites even more and more control over their society.

The case of the Sindhis and their relation to the Muhajirs is actually quite similar. The governing structure of Pakistan places the Punjabis at the top through out the country. While Muhajirs despite being above Sindhis and Balochis, still stand below the Punjabi dominated military force.

Muhajir elites in particular strongly resent this structure because it does not put them at the top. Nationalistic Sindhis also despise the structure of the Pakistani state; hence they too feel rebellious against it, more so than Muhajirs.

Sindhis, Balochis and elite Muhajirs are typically the least patriotic citizens of Pakistan.
Middle and lower class Muhajirs are also an interesting case. They are typically religious radicals and often imitate the people of the Middle East. They often spread Arab and Iranian worship under the false guise of religion.

Middle and lower class Muhajirs also typically promote what they see as patriotism towards Pakistan. This patriotism calls for Islam as absolute state religion and Urdu enjoying a higher status over Pakistan's other languages.

The pro-Indianess amongst many Sindhis comes from many causes. One is of course is the enmity of Punjabi rule of the Pakistani state structure that puts them even below the Muhajirs. The other I most recently concluded is also like the Muhajirs the wealth and power that their ethnic brotherin in India enjoy.

Many readers might be unaware but the story of non-Muslim Sindhis particularly Brahmans was a successful one before independence in 1947 and still is in India. Sindhi Brahmans are said to have a leading role in Bollywood, India's film industry.

If I am also not mistaken, the balance of ethnic power in India is different from Pakistan. In India, Punjabis constitute around two percent of the population wheras in Pakistan they are the dominant ethnic group.

The distribution of wealth and power in India is more on the basis of caste than ethnic group. Though closely related and being almost entirely from Northern India, the North Indian elites- including many Muslims- are somewhat ethnically diverse.

Their commonality is being high caste Brahmins and common Indo-Iranic origins.

Because Punjab happens to be the home of Pakistan's military leaders it is the most developed province in most areas, especially infrastructure. This has given the ordinary Punjabi population many benefits that other Pakistani provinces do not enjoy despite Punjab being more overpopulated than the other provinces.

This is the key reason why Punjabis in general appear to me more patriotic to the Pakistani state and usually turn a blind eye to the injustices carried out on the other provinces.

The Punjabi dominated military's political structure is also interesting. Unlike Pakhtun dominated Afghanistan; Pakistan's Punjabi military accepts people of other ethnic groups in it's institution even at the top levels. If a Balochi or a Sindhi or a Muhajir is willing to work on the agenda of the corrupt military establishment, he shall be accepted by them and even be made a leader.

But it is when too many non-Punjabis gain high positions in the military leadership or even the lower levels, it becomes a cause of concern to the Punjabi military elites.

Even the lifestyle of the powerful Punjabi elites is also an interesting and confusing case itself. Upper class and educated Punjabis both from military and non-military families and their children normally don't identify themselves as Punjabis or with Punjabi language and culture.

Instead they regard themselves as simply Pakistanis and speak Urdu as their native language (though Urdu and Punjabi are almost mutually understandable).

The same is not true for Pakistani Punjabis living abroad. From the ones I've met especially born and raised outside of Pakistan have a closer affinity towards their language and culture. In fact some of them have a resentment towards Urdu because they see it as "the Muhajir's language."

There are even small movements amongst Pakistani Punjabi expatriates to replace Urdu as state language with another language(s) such as Farsi and/or Arabic.

Pakhtuns on the other hand are mostly segregationist save for upper class urbanized, educated Pakhtuns.
By segregationist I mean they do not marry outside their ethnic group or even tribe for that matter. When foreigners from other parts of Pakistan or abroad go into Pakhtun areas of Pakistan, they are welcomed as guests, but pressured to make their stay short.

Even in urban cities of Pakistan, the Pakhtun population, especially poor and middle class, keeps to itself.
Religiously speaking, in general Pakhtuns, Muhajirs, Punjabis and Kashmiris are amongst the more religious types, with Muhajirs at the top.

The Kashmiris are mostly religious and patriotic towards Pakistan due to more than half their land being under Indian control.
Besides them, most of Pakistan's Sindhi and Baloch populations do not follow strict practices of Islam.

The people of the Northern Areas such as the Hunza follow moderate Ismaili sects of Islam while the Sindhis and the Baloch also follow peaceful sects of Sufi Islam and are typically non-observant with the exception of holy occasions.

Urbanized Sindhis and Balochis are an exception and can have strict interpretations of Islam.

In the struggle for political power on ethnic lines, usually Sindhis and Balochis group together against Punjabi and Muhajir hegemony. Pakhtuns, Punjabis and Kashmiris usually stand for state ideology- be it Islamic or secular- while there are differences amongst them as well as all the other ethnic groups as well.

For example the increase in the Pakhtun population of Pakistan has led many nationalistic Balochis to worry despite how easy relations between the two ethnic groups has been especially in the face of the Muhajirs.

Sindhis in general also get on well with Balochis and Pakhtuns; however the influx of immigrants from other parts of Pakistan into Sindh also leads to tension between these various ethnicities and the local Sindhis.

The Muhajirs are in the middle of all this. While enjoying a higher status than most Sindhis in their own province and to a smaller degree in Balochistan and enjoying a degree of support form the Punjabi dominated military, their hunger for even more power leads to conflicts between the two with Muhajir elites showing support for India as well as provincial nationalists in toppling the Punjabi dominated military establishment.

Aside from the ethnic tensions the way of life for most upper class elite Pakistanis remains the same. Urdu and English the main languages of the household regardless of which ethnicity.

The religious way of life usually depends on the ethnic group and varies as mentioned above.
Moreover; the politics of ethnicity and provincialism in Pakistan is extremely confusing and often leads people to be confused (it kept me confused for ages) but when the attitudes and political ambitions of each side is drawn out more clearly, it creates a clearer picture and reduces the confusion.

This post does not intend to "explain" the political issues of ethnicity and provincialism in Pakistan but rather create this clearer picture. Ethnic politics in Pakistan is as described in this post but goes deeper and more detailed. This post helps readers more draw out the structure of ethnic politics in the country like putting together the pieces of a puzzle and see the picture more clearly. Hopefully, it has done just that.