Travelling Through Pakistan's Identity: Salman Rashid on Roots, History, and Cultural Confusion
In the historic city of Lahore, travel writer and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society Salman Rashid sat down to unravel the tangled threads of Pakistan's identity. Drawing from decades of exploration and research, Rashid painted a vivid picture of a nation grappling with its past, from the Indus River Valley's ancient ties to India to the modern denial of South Asian roots. His words, laced with anecdotes and sharp critique, echo a call to embrace forgotten heritage.
The Inferiority Complex: Fabricated Ancestries and DNA Realities
Rashid delved into what he calls a "psychological illness" plaguing Pakistanis: the rejection of indigenous origins in favor of invented foreign lineages. He recounted how communities like Arains, Awans, and Syeds claim descent from Arabs or Central Asians, often fabricating figures like Saleem al-Rai or Qutb Shah as "illegitimate fathers." Yet, DNA tests reveal the truth—99% South Asian genetics. Rashid shared a story of a self-proclaimed Syed whose American DNA test showed no Arab blood, underscoring the absurdity. He traced this to historical coercion, citing Tarikh-e-Firoz Shahi’s descriptions of humiliating jizya collection tactics, where non-Muslims faced spit or dirt in their mouths, prompting conversions and subsequent denial of Hindu roots.
Historical Revisionism: From Mohammad bin Qasim to Zia-ul-Haq
Labeling Zia-ul-Haq's era as one of "Arabization," Rashid dismissed the notion of Mohammad bin Qasim as the "first Pakistani" as a lie born from Zia's illness. He argued that conversions were often under duress, leading to name changes absent in Islamic requirements—unlike Persians or Turks who retained names like Ardeshir or Daryush. Rashid highlighted how Pakistan's state narrative post-1947 severed roots to differentiate from India, warning that acknowledging shared heritage might invalidate partition's justification.
The Two-Nation Theory: A British Invention Post-1857
In a detailed recounting, Rashid exposed the Two-Nation Theory as a British construct after the 1857 War of Independence. He described Hindu-Muslim rebels sharing tents and meals—separate cooking but communal eating—until British-deployed Sikh regiments quashed the uprising. Books like Kim Wagner's "The Skull of Alum Beg" illustrate this unity, Rashid noted, yet the British sowed division to prevent future alliances, inventing the theory despite 800 years of Muslim rule without such rifts.
Language and Cultural Erosion: The Punjabi Predicament
Rashid lamented Punjabis' abandonment of their mother tongue for Urdu, a British-promoted language in the late 1800s to foster divides. He contrasted this with Bengalis' resistance, which sparked uprisings. Dialects like Saraiki, he insisted, are distinct languages with unique cultures, yet politically denied to suppress provincial demands. Fluid linguistic shifts during travels—from Saraiki to Sindhi—highlight organic diversity, now eroded.
Regional Heroes and Myths: Raja Porus Over Alexander
Challenging glorification of invaders, Rashid advocated for heroes like Raja Porus, Ranjit Singh, and Bhagat Singh. He debunked myths of Alexander the Great as Zulqarnain from the Quran—likely Cyrus the Great—and ridiculed village tales of Alexander's six-month stays in every Punjab hamlet. His PTV documentary "Sindhiya Mein Sikander" shifted perceptions, turning Porus into a "big Punjabi hero" within a year.
Indus Valley as Ancient India: Greek Testimonies
Quoting Greeks like Scylax (520 BCE) and Herodotus (460 BCE), Rashid affirmed the Indus Valley—Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan—as "India," derived from Sindhu via Persian "Hindu" and Greek "Indus." He rejected claims that India didn't exist pre-1947, citing Mahabharata's "Bharat" references centuries earlier.
Pre-Zia Liberalism vs. Post-Zia Hypocrisy
Rashid reminisced about pre-Zia Pakistan: open bars in Karachi, cabarets on Reedy Road, and military clubs where alcohol flowed freely. Zia's policies enforced prayers and fasting, breeding "munafiqat"—hypocrisy like tasbih during mujras or vocabulary shifts from "Khuda Hafiz" to "Allah Hafiz." He critiqued performative piety, noting founders like Jinnah drank alcohol, and warned of parallels in India's rising polarization.
Sectarianism and Tolerance: Provincial Contrasts
Pre-1977, sectarian divides were unknown; Rashid recalled attending Shia processions without issue. Zia's era ignited Shia-Sunni rifts and anti-Ahmadi campaigns from 1950s Lahore. He praised Baloch and Sindhi secularism—tribal over religious identity—with Sindh's historical Diwali celebrations, unlike Punjab's partition hangover fueling prejudices.
Partition's Legacy: Greed and Lost Heritage
Rashid detailed Lahore's transformation: Hindu-Sikh elites built Model Town's 10-kanal homes, now subdivided by greedy migrants. Ganga Ram's feats—like the Lower Bari Doab Canal irrigating 80,000 acres and Gangapur's narrow-gauge railway—faded. East Pakistan's racist treatment as a "labor camp" led to 1971's separation, with Bengalis thriving post-independence.
Travel Insights: Rediscovering Pakistan
Recommending routes like Makran Coastal Highway to Gwadar, Rashid highlighted sites: Princess of Hope, Kund Malir, Hingol National Park. He debunked false markers, like Qasim's graves, urging reconnection with roots.
A Confused Nation: Hope Amid Stagnation
Quoting Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Rashid described Pakistan as a "limping" nation without identity, adrift after 76 years. Yet, in stories like Rohtas Fort—where Ranjit Singh wept for Hari Singh Nalwa—he sees potential for revival through honest history.