Thread by @Hamasshole

Pakistani Twitter, we need to talk. As some people will have noticed, a small diplomatic issue recently came up between Pakistan and the Palestinian Authority.

Many of the responses to it that I've seen on Twitter dehumanise Palestinians and this is not cool. This is a thread.

Small disclaimer: This isn't directed to the majority of Pakistanis, just those that have suddenly decided that Palestinians are now traitors and that we are ungrateful for all the "support" Pakistan has given us over the years.

Firstly, as much as I enjoyed the privilege that I received as a Palestinian in Pakistan, let's not kid ourselves regarding Pakistan's political efforts to support the cause. Words are one thing, actions another.

Let's start with Black September. It was your then-Brigadier Zia ul Haq who trained and led a Jordanian military faction that massacred Palestinians in camps. We're yet to receive an apology of any sort for this.

It is also known that Pakistani diplomats have had meetings with Israeli counterparts, and that there does exist a very secretive diplomatic relationship between Pakistan and Israel.

For a state that claims to support a country whose people are mostly refugees, you certainly treat your own refugees like crap. I recognise a lot of the media rhetoric and demonisation of Afghans as being very similar to Lebanese discourse on Palestinians, for example.

Don't claim to support our people and then treat others the way we're treated elsewhere. If you cannot support your own refugees, then why should we think that your support to us is of any value?

The world doesn't revolve around India and Pakistan. Just because our (unelected) so-called government made a decision you don't like does not mean that Palestinians have chosen to side with India. We are fighting for our own damn liberation!

And besides, the relationship between Pakistan and Palestine should not be contingent on how our government treats Kashmir from a Pakistani perspective. Let's not act like Pakistan's desires in Kashmir are should not be subject to a critical examination themselves.

And of course, this is not me supporting the Indian occupation, but me stating that Pakistan's game in Kashmir isn't perfectly innocent either. The democratic will and human rights of the Kashmiris should be central to any policy there. Not the ego of Pakistani Twitter warriors.

I do agree that the wording of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement was deeply problematic, but don't transpose that rhetoric onto the Palestinians that live and breathe resistance against Israeli apartheid every day. You could only wish to be half as brave.

So don't show us support by bringing out Hafiz Saeed to cry for Al Quds and to position himself as some sort of anti-Israel leader. Show us support by taking concrete political steps to isolate Israel internationally and to empower Palestinians against ALL our opppressors.

We don't need the likes of Hafiz Saeed and Fazl ur Rahman to make this about the Muslim Ummah vs. the global Yahoodi Saazish. This is about Palestinians being oppressed by the Israeli state and its friends.

Whatever can be said about whether it was right to withdraw the ambassador or not, it certainly wasn't right for Pakistani political leaders (or any other political leaders) to use our cause for their ends. That is where the issue begins.

And I'm spotting a trend of Pakistanis who are claiming that support for Israel is now important for Pakistan's survival. Do you have no principles? Surely dealing with internal problems is the key to ensuring Pakistan's survival, not dealing with apartheid and colonisation.

Just to conclude though, I do believe that the vast majority of Pakistanis do have genuine support for Palestine in their hearts and this thread isn't directed towards them. Just toward the Twitter people that have been saying all nature of things about Palestinians recently.

I had the privilege of living in Pakistan and having a great time that I always look back upon fondly and for this I thank the vast majority of the Pakistanis that I have met and interacted with.

I wanted to write this thread to offer some much needed perspective to the self-appointed analysts and defence specialists that have been smearing Palestinians these last couple of days.

And of course, Palestine and Kashmir's liberations come hand in hand. Israel and India collude to such a degree where each has a hand in the other's occupation. Inshallah we and Kashmiris will play a role in each other's liberation as well.

And if the Pakistanis that this thread addresses want to play a role in that process, they need to listen to us and not dictate to us the terms of our liberation.

#FreePalestine #FreeKashmir #PakistanZindabad #EndThread