Abstract
The official Pakistani nationalism states that there is only one Pakistan nation
integrated through the bonds of Islam and having a national language of Urdu. Thus
Pakistani nationalism has two major pillars of Islam and Urdu language. This state
nationalism ignores and suppresses the multi-ethnic nature of the country and hence
tries to subdue the regional identities and languages. Pakhtun identity and their
language also face this discrimination and neglect from the state. The literary people
and poets associated with regional languages like Pashto has resisted this official
nationalism which is imposed from above. The Pashto poetic resistance has historical
roots from Mughal to colonial to the post-colonial Pakistani state. The major wave of
nationalistic and revolutionary poetry started with the advent of Pakhtun nationalist
movement of Khudai Khidmatgar. The poets associated with this movement played a
major role in resisting colonialism through poetry and literature. These poets and their
successors continued to resist the unjust policies of the post-colonial state of Pakistan
and also its official nationalism in the subsequent years which is considered as the
antithesis of Pakhtun nationalism. Pashto poetry has contributed in building Pakhtun
identity based on Pashto language and resisted state nationalism in favor of Pakhtun
nationalism. Over the years the themes of this poetic resistance have transformed
moving from liberationist to autonomous themes. This poetic resistance of Pashtu
language along with political and intellectual struggle of other people has contributed
in establishing Pakhtun identity, highlighting the problems of Pakhtuns and achieving
their socio-political rights.
Danish Ahmad, Rao Nadeem Alam. (2019) Resisting State’s Nationalization through Poetry: A Case Study of Pashto Poetic Resistance, Pashto, Volume 48, Issue 1.
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