“Your strategy is an outdated, proven failure”.
Source: X (Twitter) Jan Achakzai, former Minister of Information and Public Relations, Government of Balochistan, Pakistan
Dear Brother,
You reject ethnicity-based politics as immature, yet your opponents mouth the same words while building a mono-ethnic state structure in Afghanistan.
By accepting their framing, you ignore the lesson of your late martyred father: he embraced “Afghaniat,” called himself Afghan, and championed inclusive values, only to be abandoned, isolated, and betrayed by Pashtuns.
You operate in a grey zone, seeking not to provoke Pashtuns against the resistance or drive them to the Taliban. This strategy is an outdated, proven failure.
Historically, Pashtuns reject coexistence that requires surrendering dominance or sharing power in a multi-ethnic state. They place ethnicity above justice and fair play. From Khalqi and Parchami to Mujahideen and Taliban, the pattern is clear: weaponised Pashtun ethnicity against Tajiks and others—ideology is secondary.
A firm line must be drawn between aggressor and true coexistence. Pakistan must draw the same line with Afghan Pashtuns.
Pakistan’s national memory carries deep wounds. Born in 1947 amid resentment from India’s elite, we were vulnerable and hurt. Afghan Pashtuns exploited this, recognising all other borders but refusing ours—and still claiming our territory today. We survived and evolved, yet face ongoing provocations via the “Greater Pashtunistan” project and proxies.
Afghan Pashtuns have never accepted responsibility for their behaviour toward Pakistan or the chaos they caused in Afghanistan.
In trying to be authentic and pragmatic—hoping to detach fair-minded Pashtuns from the Taliban—you evade the core truth: even without the Taliban, Pashtuns will not dismantle the ethnicised power structure through dialogue and fair play alone.
We do not ask you to end their hatred of Pakistan or their conspiracies with India. We seek pragmatic partnerships with non-Pashtuns to curb Pashtun invasive dominance. They have radicalised a new generation against Tajiks, others , and Pakistan alike—making Pashtuns the common aggressor.
Reflecting this as the new generation’s sentiments as well, I hope now you will help shape empowering narratives for Afghanistan, the region, and the world.
Finally, they play perpetual victims while acting as aggressors—a classic Machiavellian playbook.
Machiavelli warns: never play fair against cheaters; fair play restrains the strong. The victor writes the law and history. Morality matters only after power is secured; until then, survival demands bending or breaking rules.
Victory calls its methods strategy, not cheating.
To your bright future and vision of a peaceful Afghanistan where all coexist, including in harmony with Pakistan.
Regards,
Jan Achakzai
A Pakistani citizen
