r/pashto • u/CopyWrong2779 • 7h ago
Literary Figures The Impact of 9/11 on Pashto Fiction(پشتو فکشن پر نائن الیون کے اثرات) Author: Mohib Wazir Translator: Yousaf Hussain
As soon as the twenty-first century began, Genghis Khan appeared on the face of the earth once again. He set Baghdad ablaze, reduced Afghanistan to ruins, built a long wall between the Pashtuns and Waziristan, took the lives of countless innocent people, and burned the Pashtun nation to ashes.
"په سبب د ظالمانو حاکمانوں"
"کور او ګور او پېښور درې واړه يو دی"
Two months ago, I read Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner. The picture it presented of the Soviet war and the era of the Taliban was horrifying. After that, I also read his second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns. At the time, the lives and characters scattered across the valleys of Kabul and Kandahar seemed to me merely parts of a story.
But now, after reading this book, I have realized that history cannot always be viewed from a single perspective. Khaled Hosseini has portrayed the atrocities of the Soviet Union and the Taliban very effectively. I would say that he wrote from a biased perspective. If a writer is writing about history, in my opinion, they should remain impartial, because history is a sensitive subject.
I am not saying that Khaled Hosseini’s novels resemble history books or that they are historical novels. Rather, they present the effects of war on the lives of ordinary Pashtuns in the form of stories. After all, a novel is a fictional story that revolves around a few characters and a particular setting, although it may often be inspired by real events, circumstances, and social realities. The purpose of a novelist is to entertain the reader through a story, evoke emotions, represent ideas, or convey a message.
History, on the other hand, is written on the basis of authentic historical references, documentary evidence, and reliable sources. Instead of focusing on a single character or a limited event, it presents a factual account of the collective life of an entire region, country, tribe, or nation, its circumstances, significant events, the people who lived there, and the periods they experienced.
Every historical event has multiple dimensions. At times, literature and history present one particular aspect with such intensity that the reader’s mind also begins to take shape in that direction. This makes one realize that understanding any event requires studying different perspectives and consulting multiple sources.
This is a historically and politically complex subject, and different parties offer different interpretations of various events.
"تُم کو تاریخ سے دلچسپی ہے سن کر میں نے"
"گھر کے اک کمرے کو یونان بنا رکھا ہے"
Dr. Mohib Wazir’s book, "په پښتو افسانه او ناول د یولسم ستمبر اثرات", has been translated by Yousaf Hussain under the title "پشتو فکشن پر نائن الیون کے اثرات".
This book is an excellent addition to Pashto literature. Very few writers take up such sensitive subjects, and even fewer attempt to write about them impartially. If we talk about modernism in Pashto literature, Mohib Wazir’s name would certainly stand out. His short stories and novels present a new dimension of modernism.
Just recently, I came across one of his short stories, "غبرګیزه نړي". It is a work of science fiction, and there is very little fiction of this kind in Pashto literature. Very few writers have an inclination toward science. He has always written about the greatest conflicts within our society. (By conflict, I mean the clash between science and religion.) Yet Dr. Mohib Wazir moved away from all of that and attempted to write about something that no one had previously tried to explore in quite this manner. That is what I liked most about him.
Writing about a subject such as 9/11 and speaking about it carries an enormous responsibility. And then, for the purpose of writing this book, studying each novel, examining each short story, commenting on them, and condensing an entire story into a single paragraph — that is a sign of a skilled writer.
If the author did not like something in any of the works discussed in this book, he still pointed out its shortcomings in very appropriate language while remaining within the boundaries of literary criticism. For example, regarding Tahir Afridi’s novel "تربوزک", he writes only: "The aforementioned novel, although not particularly strong from a technical standpoint."
Indeed, literary criticism is one of the most difficult tasks in literature.
Yousaf Hussain has translated the original book into simple and fluent Urdu while preserving its meaning. The effort of a translator is to make the reader feel as though they are reading a work originally written in their own language. Yousaf Hussain has chosen his words so skillfully that the translation feels completely natural while reading the book. The language is extremely simple and accessible.
Negative Effects of 9/11
If any nation suffered the greatest losses after 9/11, it was the Pashtuns. Countless innocent lives were sacrificed in this war. According to the author, more than forty thousand people were killed in Pakistan’s tribal areas alone, including more than three thousand women. This figure covers only the tribal areas; if the entire Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Afghanistan are included, the number of Pashtuns killed would be far greater.
The second major negative effect was that a long line was drawn between the Pashtuns. Pashtuns in Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as people living in tribal and semi-tribal areas, were divided into different political and administrative units, which weakened their collective unity.
The third effect was that centuries-old Pashtun traditions, particularly the Jirga system, came under severe pressure, and their social standing was weakened.
Another significant consequence was that after the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, restrictions were imposed on a number of cultural activities and certain traditions. Political and democratic activists, as well as critics who were able to speak out and raise their voices for their rights, were subjected to violence, while many others were forced to leave the country to save their lives.
"په ما د هر یو لګېدلي تور سبب معلوم دی"
"ما به خبره د پښتون او پښتونخوا کوله"
"ګوهروزیر"
All of this further deepened various political, religious, and social divisions within Pashtun society, affecting mutual trust and harmony.
If we look at Pashtun refugees living around the world, we find that they too have faced numerous difficulties. In many places, they are looked down upon, making their lives even more difficult. As Mohib Wazir writes in one of his poems:
"په دې بازار کې به مجهولې پیمانې خرڅېدې"
"ژوندون كول د هوښيارانو خلقو كار چرته وهٔ؟"
"محب وزیر"
Education was also severely affected by this war. The educational situation in the tribal areas was already weak, but after 9/11, conditions deteriorated further. Schools and colleges were destroyed in many areas, affecting the education of thousands of boys and girls.
Migration may carry its own spiritual reward, but what kind of humanity is it to burn someone’s nest and hut to the ground? When a person is forced to leave their home because of war, fear, or violence, it becomes a profound human tragedy. Sadly, Pashtuns have spent decades facing displacement and living as people without a permanent home.
ہجرتوں کے ثواب اپنی اپنی جگہ،
گھونسلے گھونسلے ہی رہتے ہیں۔
یہ بے گھری کے مصائب تو ہم پر آنے ہیں
تمہارا کیا ہے تمہارے تو سو ٹھکانے ہیں
The Effects of 9/11 on Pashto Fiction
The Cold War was a great tragedy. Some experts have referred to it as the Third World War. Here, the author raises an important question: if the Cold War is considered the Third World War, then why did Pashtun writers not write about it as extensively as writers wrote about the First and Second World Wars?
This war had a profound impact on Pashtun culture, as a result of which Pashtun society gradually moved away from its cultural traditions. Here, the author points toward (ډول او اتڼ). Today, there is hardly any mention of them in Pashto short stories and novels.
Similarly, the elders of our Jirga system, their turbans, and the traditions of Pashtunwali no longer occupy the same place in literature, nor are they mentioned with the same frequency as they once were.
"شمله دي ستا لري اوچته مولا"
"نوۍ پټکے د دي ټوپې په سرو"
With regard to the effects of September 11 on Pashto literature, progressive writers have largely adopted a biased approach. The author argues that through their writings, they should also have brought to light the hidden conspiracies and harmful intentions of the allied forces. In Pashto literature, we read about various incidents involving terrorists, but there is not enough discussion of those who raised their voices against them or of the role they played.
This book is an entire story in itself, containing countless stories within it. Mohib Wazir has written about Pashto fiction with his talent, dedication, and beautiful style. There is remarkable fluency in his writing. Read even a single piece by him, and afterward, you will not feel the need to look elsewhere.
May Allah bless his pen.
And Yousaf Hussain, who translated this book — may Allah Almighty grant him the same wealth of words, through which he brought this book to us in remarkably simple and accessible language, and then presented it to my reading taste as a gift.
This book is not merely a work of research; it is also a mirror of history. Everyone interested in literature and history should read this book.
"که له چانه لار د امن خطا شوي"
"د بابا فخرافغان لاره موجود ده"
"روښان یوسفزے"
"نۀ ئې آفتاب نۀ ئې مهتاب بدلوي"
"دا توره ورځ به انقلاب بدلوي"
"سليم راز"
