Colonial literary Sources and the Image of Pashtuns: A Historical Analysis

Abstract

Colonialism is the form of the ascendance of individuals or groups on the states and departments of people. In the Indian sub-continent, the cultural domination of colonizers on the minds of the colonized led to the spread of certain perspectives that marked the distinction within society. Hence through the process of reification and codification of history British classified the Indian society: compartmentalized the whole into various groups. By applying the same approach British labeled the Pashtuns of the western frontier as “Pathans” either they were courageous/warriors or they were sinister and corrupt. In this paper, an attempt is made to unveil the difference between the original Pashtun and the Colonial Pathan by utilizing the theory of Orientalism given by Edward Said. Moreover, it is also argued that the true identity of Pashtuns is contradictory with the Colonial image and stereotypes like honoring the Baloch, intimidating the Sindhis, Ruling the Punjabis, and buying the Pashtun.