Resisting State’s Nationalization through Poetry

A Case Study of Pashto Poetic Resistance

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.