What is the historical and ambitious strategy of the Pashtuns to achieve absolute power in Afghanistan and beyond?
By Mahfouz.
Throughout history, the Pashtuns have struggled to achieve absolute tribal power in Afghanistan. This struggle has not only been covert at various times but has also been quite open, especially in recent years. In contrast, the non-Pashtun ethnic groups of Afghanistan, especially their political leaders, not only lacked long-term planning and strategy to preserve their geography, identity, history, and culture but in most cases, became hostage to short-term deals to achieve power, wealth, and political status. Meanwhile, using long-term plans, the Pashtuns have developed fifty-year and hundred-year doctrines to achieve their absolute dominance in Afghanistan and beyond.
The Role of Long-Term Doctrines in Pashtun Dominance
The Pashtun strategy for achieving absolute dominance has been based on three main principles:
1 - Strengthening tribal rule in Afghanistan:
Historically, Pashtun governments have focused on gradually eliminating rivals and reducing the effectiveness of other ethnic groups. Even when non-Pashtun figures were present in the Afghan political structure, this presence was superficial and served only to demonstrate ethnic diversity.
2 - Using proxies to legitimize power:
The Pashtuns, especially in the last few decades, have paved the way for their own rule by using proxy groups such as the Mujahideen, the Taliban, and even ISIS. These groups have been tools in the hands of Pashtun politicians at various stages, and when one has fulfilled its mission, a new group has taken its place.
3 - Creating Dissension and Buying Off Non-Pashtun Leaders:
One of the main tactics of the Pashtuns is to buy off and buy off non-Pashtun tribal leaders with promises of money, power, and government positions. This policy has led to non-Pashtun leaders resorting more to personal and short-term deals rather than developing a coherent long-term strategy to preserve their identity and rights. As a result, they have become ineffective pawns in the political equations of Afghanistan.
The Taliban; A Key Tool in the Pashtun Dominance Strategy
With the rise of the Taliban, the Pashtun strategy has entered a new phase of implementation. Since its inception, this group has been directly supported by Pashtun-centric networks inside and outside Afghanistan. The Taliban also serves as a means to the same historical doctrine of Pashtun dominance. Now that three years have passed since the Taliban came to power, it is clear that the idea of Pashtun superiority has become commonplace not only among the Taliban leaders but also among various Pashtun groups, including educated people, teachers, pseudo-intellectuals, and even Pashtun women.
Beyond Afghanistan; The Greater Pashtunistan Project
One of the main goals of this strategy is not only to consolidate Pashtun rule in Afghanistan but also to extend it to the Pashtun-populated areas of Pakistan and create a “Greater Pashtunistan”. In this regard, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) movement is used as a tool to destabilize the Pashtun-populated areas of Pakistan and separate them from the country. These areas, home to about forty million people, are considered part of their historical territory in the Pashtun strategic plans, and attempts to annex them to Afghanistan are part of the same long-term doctrine.
The Role of the Media and Pashtuns Who Supposedly Oppose the Taliban
One important tactic in implementing this project is controlling and directing public opinion through the media. Some Pashtun figures who appear in the media as opponents of the Taliban are disrupting and distorting public opinion. They ostensibly criticize the Taliban in media discussions. Still, this criticism is raised only on issues such as the Taliban's extremist behavior and never mentions the Pashtuns' grand strategy to dominate Afghanistan completely and create a "Greater Pashtunistan."
Conclusion; Vigilance versus Entrenched Strategy
The Pashtunist agenda may not be fully realized for various reasons, including regional and international factors, but the important point is that this strategy has always been and remains on the agenda. It is important to realize that the idea of Pashtunism has been adopted as a common ideal not only by the Taliban but by all sections of the Pashtun population, including educated people, politicians, intellectuals, and even women. At the same time, one should not be deceived by figures who seem to pose as opponents of the Taliban but ultimately move in the same direction as the Taliban.
History has shown that the only way to counter such long-term strategies is through careful planning, creating unity among non-Pashtun ethnic groups, and developing a concrete strategy to preserve the identity, culture, and rights of all ethnic groups in Afghanistan. Otherwise, the process of gradual dominance of the Pashtuns in Afghanistan and even the expansion of their influence beyond its borders will continue.
