All in One

Ajmal Shams -  A careful look into the tragic events and misfortunes of the past three decades in Afghanistan, beginning with the communist coup of April 1978, reveals clearly that Pashtuns on both sides of the Durand Line separating Afghanistan from Pakistan have been the prime victims.

It is true that Afghans in general have suffered tremendously from a perpetual bloody conflict that has shattered lives in varying degrees. However, Pashtuns in both Afghanistan and across the border in Pakhtunkhwa have been the most severely impacted by the ongoing strife.

As a consequence of the armed resistance against the Soviet occupation forces, almost 2 million Afghans, mainly Pashtuns, lost their lives. Spy agencies of the communist regime in Kabul continued to perpetrate terrorist activities in Pakhtunkhwa, which killed hundreds of Pashtuns - both local and refugees from Afghanistan. Similarly, after the collapse of Mohammad Najibullah's regime, when the mujahideen came to power, the major battle grounds of the civil war were the Pashtun areas.

Now, after decades, the legacy of this virtual massacre of Pashtuns still rages in the form of the ongoing insurgency on both sides of the Durand Line.

The Taliban emerged in the early 1990s in the country's south and gradually grabbed power, taking complete control in 1996. Since an absolute majority of the militants were Pashtun, this triggered international propaganda against the entire Pashtun ethnicity. Pashtuns were portrayed as being against civilized culture and as believing only in extremism. Whatever actions the Taliban committed were associated with the Pashtuns.

Regrettably, this character assassination has been sustained to this day in one form or another, despite the fact that the Taliban rarely committed actions that favoured one ethnic group over the other and never identified themselves with being Pashtuns.

Members of the Taliban from Badakhshan Province, ethnic Tajiks, were actively involved in the movement with some holding high-ranking positions. The perception of identifying Pashtuns with the Taliban or vice versa has no logical grounds.

The story of the non-violent struggle against British rule led by the legendary Pashtun freedom fighter Khan Abdul Ghafar Khan, well known as Bacha Khan, offers a more apt lesson in the history of Pashtun political movements. Often called "the non-violent soldier of Islam", 80 years ago he called upon the Pashtuns to stand up for their rights and struggle through peaceful political means without resorting to violence.

Thousands of Pashtuns associated themselves with the non-violent method of uprising seen under his charismatic leadership. Bacha Khan and his companions spent years in prisons and suffered enormous hardships in pursuit of their enduring peaceful struggle for freedom.

If it were true that Pashtuns only believed in violent methods of political struggle, they would never have united under Bacha Khan's banner of peaceful uprising. Pashtuns' adherence to Bacha Khan's peaceful political movement is proof of Pashtuns' faith in tolerance and peaceful co-existence. Pashtuns have entrenched principles of resolving conflicts among themselves and with others through dialogue and traditional peace jirgas (tribal assemblies). However, when there is legitimate need for the use of force, they are readily willing to rise up in arms.

The pages of history illustrate Pashtuns' valiant struggle, bravery and courage and portray them also as inheritors of a nearly 5,000 year-old civilization that thrived between the great rivers of Amu and Indus.

Among the many Pashtun heroes, reflection on the life of Khushal Khan Khattak sheds the most light on the character of a typical Pashtun leader. Khushal Khan has been called a man of the sword and of letters. For years, defending the rights of Pashtuns, he fought Mughuls, but he was also second to none in terms of his literary achievements. His works have inspired writers and poets for four centuries.

The re-emergence of the Taliban after being thrown out of power in late 2001 by the US-led international military coalition can be attributed to several internal and external contributing factors. It is nothing but unfair media bias to say that the Taliban-led insurgency has been initiated by the Pashtuns.

The reality is that this violent conflict has been imposed on the Pashtuns whose victims are none but Pashtuns themselves. It is also a pity that the Taliban Insurgency is sometimes termed as Pashtun insurgency. Unfair as it is, there is absolutely no logic in the notion either. Such a characterization portrays a negative image of the Pashtuns worldwide, leading several into believing that Pashtuns are radical extremists who cannot come to terms with attributes of modern society.

It is an open secret now that the ongoing insurgency in the lands of the Pashtuns is mainly driven by the global rivalries for gaining political influence and economic superiority. Surprisingly, Afghanistan, due to its geo-strategic location, remains the battleground for such rivalries but neither their owner nor beneficiary. Part of the blame also lies with a fragmented Pashtun leadership that has little or no vision for the future.

It is a crucial moment for the Pashtun political leadership as well as the religious and social intelligentsia to redefine and present the true image of Pashtuns as a tolerant nation having a long cherished desire to live in peaceful co-existence with others, so long as their relationship is based on mutual respect and trust.

However, one must also be mindful of the fact that as long Pashtuns are not given their legitimate political and cultural rights and equal access to economic opportunities, not only will the entire regions remain in the grip of conflict and tension but the world at large will continue to feel the adverse impacts.

Ajmal Shams is President of the Afghanistan Social Democratic Party, known as the Afghan Millat National Progressive Party. He also served as Policy Advisor to the Afghanistan Transition Coordination Commission.–Asia Times Online

A 23-year-old Chinese woman has allegedly died from an electric shock when using Apple's iPhone 5 while it was being charged, her family members claim, according to media reports.

The older sister of alleged victim Ma Ailun took to Sina Weibo, China's popular Twitter-like social network, over the weekend to demand an explanation from Apple and urged people not to use their phones while charging them.

A Sina Tech report said that Apple has issued a statement expressing condolences to Ma's family over the unfortunate incident, and vowed to investigate the incident thoroughly. The company also said it would cooperate with authorities over the matter.

Another report, this time from China Daily, said that local police confirmed Ma had died of electrocution, but have not concluded whether her phone played a part in causing the incident.

Experts have noted that there is a risk in using any electrical device while it is being charged, according to a South China Morning Post report — be it a shaver or a phone. An expert in the report also cautioned that the exact circumstances of the incident are not clear, and it would not be suitable to jump to any conclusions at this stage.

China is known for selling Apple products on the grey market, with the iPhone 5 landing in the country less than a week after Apple began selling it last year, and counterfeit iPhone 5 models had arrived by then too.

Ma's sister mentioned on Weibo that the phone was bought last December and still under warranty, and the family has handed the phone over to authorities for investigation.

Reports have said that Ma, a resident in the northwestern Chinese province of Xinjiang, had been a flight attendant at China Southern Airlines, though she recently quit her job. Ma's sister on Weibo mentioned that she had been due to get married on August 18.

We have reached out to Apple for comment and will update with any further details provided.

Moscow: Vimpelcom, one of Russia's top mobile operators, will no longer sell Apple Inc's iPhone, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, after similar moves by other mobile companies in Russia.

Vimpelcom ended negotiations with Apple over iPhone sales this month as the US company would not soften its contract terms, the paper said, citing a person close to the operator.

The Financial Times also reported that Russian operators MTS and Megafon have halted iPhone sales.

A representative for MTS told Reuters that the company's contract to sell iPhones ended in September 2012, so it did not purchase the latest model, the iPhone 5. But it did continue to sell older models of iPhones in stock.

MTS is actively pushing sales of Apple's tablet computer the iPad, as it sees a huge potential for such products in Russia, the representative said.

A spokesman for Megafon said on Wednesday that it has not sold iPhones since 2009.

Vimpelcom and Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The operators were hurt by the fact that Russia does not allow subsidies for handsets, making the phones too expensive for the average customer, the paper reported.

Apple, which has a 4.5 per cent share of the Russian smartphone market, can still sell in Russia through its own resale stores and other mobile phone retailers, the Financial Times reported.