Quote:
Originally Posted by Sociologist PU
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This is in response to the article available on the link above.
The writer wrongly claims that clashes between ethnic Pashtuns and Urdu-speaking immigrants (Mohajirs) from India started in 1980s and were over access to property and jobs. The real problem went back to 1960s when Ayub Khan and his son started punishing Karachiites for voting overwhelmingly for Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah, a sister of the founder of Pakistan, who opposed Ayub Khan, the military dictator who spoiled Pakistani politics for all times to come.
The writer’s assertion that Pashtuns and Mohajirs fought over jobs in Karachi is anything but truth because the two communities, because of their different levels of education and job skills, mostly operate in entirely different job markets, which fact was also corroborated by Pashtun party chief in Karachi.
A foul-mouthed former interior minister is very vocal these days against Mohajirs and their popular political party MQM. During one of his outbursts, he said words to the effect that M.A. Jinnah, born in Sindh, created Pakistan and then Urdu-speaking people came from India to seek refuge in safe-havens in Pakistan; denigrating their services and sacrifices in the creation of Pakistan and calling them mere parasites. Unfortunately, similar feeling was held as far back as 1947, in Punjab, a province which holds 65 percent of the total population of present-day Pakistan. This prejudice resulted in the separation of East Pakistan and is behind ethnic riots in Karachi. So, squeezed to the limit, Mohajirs organaized themselves in 1980s and started ‘active’ resistance against excesses. Pashtuns and Punjabis are ‘natural’ allies’ in Karachi and through their overwhelming presence in forces and law-enforcement agencies, they even launched two brutal state operations against Mohajirs’ representative, popular party MQM, which only exacerbated the tension in Karachi.