Pashtun Politics in Pakistan: Survival, Strategy and the Burden of History
Pashtun politics in Pakistan has rarely been a story of ideological comfort or moral purity. It has been a politics of survival, shaped by colonial legacies, repeated state disruptions, militarisation and the systematic weakening of institutions meant to represent Pashtun society.
In this talk, Ayaz Khan Achakzai examines how Pashtun political actors have navigated an environment where repression, co-optation and fragmentation are recurring features. Rather than judging politics through idealised frameworks, the talk explores the strategic choices Pashtun leaders have made under constraint, and the heavy historical burdens that continue to shape those choices today.
The session will reflect on continuity and rupture in Pashtun politics, the tension between principle and pragmatism, and why survival itself has often become the central political objective.
This session is free and open to all. Just visit the venue to attend it.
The Black Hole
Plot 5H, Street 100, G-11/3, Islamabad.
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