संवाद # 70: Is Pastunistan biggest security threat for Pakistan? Top expert Tilak Devasher explains

Tilak Devasher retired as Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat Government of India in 2014. He is currently a member of the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) and also a Consultant with the Vivekananda International Foundation. During his professional career Tilak served in J&K, Delhi and abroad. He specialized in security issues, especially pertaining to India’s neighbourhood. Post retirement, he has continued to take a keen interest in such issues with special focus on Pakistan. He is the author of four widely acclaimed books on Pakistan. His book ‘Pakistan: Courting the Abyss’ (December 2016) was termed ‘easily the best book on Pakistan’ by a noted Pakistani commentator – Khaled Ahmed. His latest book is titled 'The Pashtuns: A Contested History'. You can order your copy here: https://www.amazon.in/Pashtuns-Contes... 0:00 Intro 1.11 Analysing what went wrong with Pashtuns 3:55 Maharaja Ranjit Singh & how Pashtuns got divided into two areas 5:24 Why Pashtunistan is a graveyard of empires 7:55 Religion of Pashtuns before Islam 11:47 Pashtuns follow tribal Islam with many polytheistic characteristics 14:38 Pashtunwali - living unwritten code of Pashtuns 18:57 Contradictions in Pashtunwali - trading women in exchange for peace 20:45 Durranis Vs Gilzais - Tribal divisions in Pashtuns 25:00 Ahmed Shah Durrani & Indian Afghans 27:01 Why Pashtuns didn’t like Indian Muslims 29:30 How US-Saudi money strengthened Salafism & weakened Pashtunwali 36:24 How Zia-up-Haq & Pak radicalised Pashtuns to weaken their nationalism 40:51 Pashtunistan: Biggest fault line of Pakistan 43:58 Relationship between Afghan Taliban & Pak Taliban & how it will impact Pakistan 52:01 Pashtun nationalists Vs Pashtun Islamists in Pakistan 53:04 Prithviraj Chauhan Vs Mohammad Ghori 54:56 How Taliban took Deobandi ideology to extremes 57:26 When Osama Bin Laden accused Talibanis of shirk 58:19 Attitudes of Afghan Pashtuns Vs Pak Pashtuns towards India 59:25 Punjabi Pakistanis are most rabid anti-India and anti-Hindu