The recent irresponsible speeches made by politicians are breathing new life into the longstanding hatred and discrimination against Pashtuns. The confrontation between Imran Khan supporters and the police in Lahore has seen several irresponsible statements being made about “pathans” and “Taliban” from KP by politicians and their supporters, which have been repeated uncritically and without any context by the media.
The perpetuation of such unfair stereotypes is quite unfair and dangerous and the media should exercise more restraint when faced with such statements. Furthermore, the people making these statements should stop and think before they assume things about those they do not know rather than labelling them with the first thing that pops into their heads.
Abdul Salam Dawar
Islamabad