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The question of ethnic marginalisation in this country is so complex. In one way or another, every ethnic group has a reason to feel marginalised. Every group also includes at least some members who are elite. Marginalisation has played out differently for each historically. 1
While the Punjabi elite has undoubtedly been on top materially, the elites of every other group have been favoured to differing extents historically by the establishment. We need a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between class & ethnicity to understand this. 2
On the question of Mujahir marginalisation, there is a very real sense of deprivation in Sindh since the 1970s due to the policies of Ayub Khan & the PPP. This is why the MQM became popular, but the Sindhi sense of deprivation is also very real, particularly amongst non-elites. 3
And where I work, in Lyari, there is a very real anger toward the MQM & a sense of Muhajir domination because of Karachi's political landscape during the 90s & 00s. There is a sense that the city was 'given' to Muhahirs in the decades after Partition. This feeling is also real. 4
Ethnic groups have been played against each other historically by the establishment, which has seen 'buy-in' from most groups (to differing extents). In all of this, the group that has most clearly been deprived has been the Baloch, with only a very small elite benefiting. 5
What is clear is that we need a nuanced analysis--one that doesn't deny the importance of ethnicity in favour of class, but one that also doesn't deteriorate into a competition over suffering. Everyone has legitimate grievances, but blaming each other will get us nowhere. 6
But this doesn’t mean we deny a sense of systemic discrimination felt by particular groups. It’s not about ‘blaming’ each other but about understanding how the system pits groups against each other to maintain the power of a Punjabi-dominated (but not Punjabi-only) elite.7
The question of Pashtun-discrimination is particularly complex. While certain Pashtuns have done well in the military, this varies greatly by region & class. Non-elite Pashtuns in particular suffer discrimination & profiling based on ethnicity, which is why we see the PTM. 8
