Jan Achakzai

BY JAN ASSAKZAI Discrimination against nearly 40 million Pakhtuns in Pakistan has reached new levels finding parallels with Bengalis of erstwhile East Pakistan. Yes it is in Pakistan which has a constitution that purports to respect the rights of other provinces, ethnic and religious minorities. In practice, Pakhtuns are facing worse kind of discrimination can be seen below: 1: The war on terror has turned Pakhtun areas of Pakhtunkhwa and of Southern Pakhtunkhwa (Read Balochistan's Pakhtun areas) into a battleground for extremist and terrorist activities culminating in closure of thousands of schools and killing of innocent political, tribal and social leaders, besides women and children 2: The policies of war on terror and of "strategic depth" pursued by Pakistan military establishment are victimising Pakhtuns while having no say whatsoever in shaping them - leaving the community brutalised and traumatised over the last nearly three decades. 2: B. The Talibanisation po...

COURTESY DAILY TIMES VIEW: Strategic dialogue and the Pashtun —Zubair Torwali The Pashtun, who undoubtedly are the direct victims of terrorism and the war on terror, have never been asked to express their views in this regard. The Pashtuns are now so tired of the strategic depth policy that they compare it with a deep grave for them By the time this article appears in print, the strategic dialogue between the US and Pakistani governments scheduled for March 24, would have started in Washington. The more important of delegations, perhaps the most significant one, left for Washington on March 20. This delegation comprises our top military stalwarts, with the army chief as its head. The other delegation from Pakistan includes some of the key position holders in the country’s economy, environment and energy sectors. Of course all these issues, the economy, climate and energy shortfall, will come under discussion during the dialogue, but analysts say that the most important point of...