The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) has been banned by the Federal Government and declared as a ‘proscribed organisation’.
According to a Notification issued by the Interior Ministry, citing section 11B of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 it stated that PTM is a threat to peace and security in the country, and the federal government is putting it in the first schedule.
The notification read: “Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) is engaged in certain activities which are prejudicial to the peace and security of the country.”
Human rights activist Manzoor Pashteen launched PTM to address the grievances of Pashtuns, who are the second largest group in Pakistan and mostly live in the northwestern part of the country.
In Baluchistan, Pashtun are also the next largest group after the Baluch people.
After videos emerged of several individuals, allegedly Afghan nationals, vandalising the Pakistani consulate in Frankfurt, Islamabad urged Germany to take immediate measures to investigate the security lapse and hold those responsible for it accountable to the law.
The incident happened on July 20, when a “gang of extremists” attacked the consulate and “endangered” the lives of the consular staff on the premises, says the statement from the Pakistani mission.
In one of the viral videos, it can be seen that protesters carrying placards gathered outside the consulate.
The videos show three men — one of whom is seen clutching an Afghan flag — climbing a flagpole to remove the Pakistani flag.
However, some reports also indicated the protesters pelted the consulate building with stones.
Protest outside consulate
German media outlet DW reported that Saturday’s demonstration was arranged to “highlight complaints against Pakistan’s military and intelligence services, which organisers accused of killing critics and political opponents”.
DW quoted police as saying that about 400 people carrying Afghanistan flags took part in the demonstration outside the consulate.
Netizens on X also speculated that the people who vandalised the Pakistani consulate in Frankfurt belonged to the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement headed by Manzoor Pashteen.
However, Manzoor posted an official denial on X condemning the violence in Frankfurt. “Local authorities should take action against the perpetrator. Trained people are doing such acts on planning to create negative propaganda against people’s protests,” he asserted.
Pakistan’s reaction
The Foreign Office in Pakistan called out the German authorities for failing to protect the “sanctity and security of the premises of its consular mission” under the Vienna Conventions on Consular Relations, 1963.
“We are in contact with the German authorities to ensure such a situation doesn’t arise again and the miscreants face legal consequences,” the Pakistani embassy in Germany posted on its official X handle.
Information Minister Atta Tarar, in a press conference, revealed that NADRA is asked to analyse the footage of the incident in Frankfurt to ascertain whether any Pakistanis were involved.
Though the Foreign Office did not point to the nationality of the miscreants, some of them were draped in the tri-colour Afghanistan flag. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, however, lashed out at the Afghan nationals, saying Islamabad needed to rethink its hospitality towards Afghan citizens in the wake of this incident.
“There’s a limit to hospitality. They swore at us; they swore at Pakistan. They talk against the integrity of Pakistan. They carry out proper rallies [against Pakistan]. They burn our flags,” he told Geo News, claiming that Pakistan fought wars for Kabul. “I think Pakistan needs to rethink their hospitality,” he said.
Pakistan hosts over three million Afghan refugees and recently launched a deportation drive to expel those who were residing in the country without documents.
Earlier this month, the government extended the stay of registered Afghan refugees by one year.
Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) chief Manzoor Pashteen was arrested by the police in Chaman, Balochistan on Monday. Consequently, the Interior Ministry has decided to shift him to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. With this, Pashteen has been banned from Balochistan, Caretaker Information Minister Balochistan Jan Achakzai has said.
Pashteen was arrested yesterday from Chaman when he was going to speak to a massive sit-in, protesting against the alleged murder of a Baloch student at the hands of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), in Turbat.
پشتون تحفظ موومنٹ کے رہنما منظور پشتین ایک قافلے کی شکل میں چمن سے تربت کی طرف جارہے تھے کہ چمن میں فوج اور پولیس نے ان کی گاڑی پر سٹریٹ فائرنگ کردی ہیں، انکی گرفتاری کی کوششیں جاری ہیں، پورا علاقہ فوج، ایف سی اور پولیس نے محاصرہ کر لیا ہے۔
The Deputy Commissioner of Chaman has claimed that Pashteen was arrested after armed men from his vehicle allegedly opened fire at a police vehicle. PTM leaders have accused law enforcement officers of initiating the gunfire, saying that Pashteen emerged unharmed from the shooting incident. In a video released by PTM on Youtube, member central committee Haji Abdul Samad Khan can be seen relating the incident where people inside their vehicle were also injured, including a woman.
Jan Achakzai stated that Pashteen had addressed the Chaman sit-in without the approval of the administration, referring to PTM as “an anti-state organisation”, reports Express Tribune.
He also stated that an FIR had been lodged against Pashteen by police in Chaman, noting that four people were injured as the PTM chief’s guards opened fire on them.
Renowned Journalist Azaz Syed criticised the arrest as a move against the freedom of speech.
Salma Khan, member of the PTM, called out the state for using disruptive tactics to create chaos.
#ManzoorPashteen is a figure respected and loved by all Pashtuns, including those who stand opposed to him. It’s both foolish and cruel to attack or arrest him.
Anchor and Journalist Sanna Ejaz condemned the attack and arrest.
Strongly condemn the attack and arrest on PTM leader @ManzoorPashteen in Chaman, it is the obvious reason to malign the genuine cause of the Pakhtun crossing (freedom of movement as per UN Human Rights charter) across the Durand Line boundary.#ReleaseManzoorPashteenpic.twitter.com/wYPr2NzKZu
Hundreds of Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) workers staged a sit-in outside of Sindh Assembly to demand the release of their leader and Member of National Assembly (MNA) Ali Wazir, reports Dawn News.
Initially, Deputy Commissioner (DC)-South Irshad Ali Sodhar and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP)-South Rai Ijaz Ahmed tried to prevent the group from marching but eventually allowed the rally to proceed towards the assembly building where it was turned into a sit-in.
PTM founder and head Manzoor Pashteen said, “The government calls itself a democratic one but we are not being allowed to exercise our democratic rights.”
Pashteen said that the protest and sit-in would continue till the release of Wazir.
PTM leader Hidayatullah criticised the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) for arresting PTM leaders in false cases. He argued when Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) leaders and workers have been released, why are PTM leaders including MNA Wazir are not being released.
MNA Wazir and MNA Mohsin Dawar, as well as Pashteen, have been booked for committing sedition by inciting the people to wage a war against the state by delivering provocative speeches against security forces at a rally held in Sohrab Goth on December 6, 2020.
Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) chief Manzoor Pashteen, who had been arrested from Shaheen Town of Peshawar in January, was on Tuesday released from jail.
According to reports, the Pashtun rights activist was arrested in a case registered against him at the City Police Station in Dera Ismail Khan on January 18 under sections 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups), 120-B (punishment of criminal conspiracy), 124 (sedition), and 123-A (condemning the creation of the country and advocating the abolishment of its sovereignty) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Later, a sessions court in Tank district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) had granted bail to the PTM chief, while also granting him bail in a similar case by a Dera Ismail Khan court.
Pashteen’s bail applications in two other cases — also pertaining to sedition — were approved by the DI Khan court on February 8. MNA and PTM’s senior leader Mohsin Dawar had said that Pashteen would be released from jail once legal formalities were completed.
Wife of the late Murtaza Bhutto and Pakistan People’s Party-Shaheed Bhutto (PPP-SB) chairperson Ghinwa Bhutto, in a first, has joined a gathering of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) in Karachi to show solidarity with the rights-based alliance.
According to reports, the PTM on Sunday held a rally in Karachi to mark the first death anniversary of their comrade Arman Loni — allegedly killed during a police crackdown on a PTM protest in Loralai last year — and also demanded the release of its chief, Manzoor Pashteen.
PTM had maintained that Loni was killed in a police crackdown and demanded that the Balochistan government take notice of his death. However, a later report did not find any marks of violence or injuries on the deceased’s body.
The PTM had obtained permission to hold the public meeting with a crowd of 300-350 people, Deputy Inspector General (East) Amir Farooqi told a private media outlet. He added that the demonstrators had assured authorities that they would abide by the law.
The PTM also held a gathering in Loralai, thronged by a large number of people.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has granted post-arrest bail to activists who were detained for protesting against the arrest of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leader Manzoor Pashteen, Dawn reported Monday.
According to reports, IHC Chief Justice (CJ) Athar Minallah heard the plea and granted bail to 23 activists belonging to the PTM and Awami Workers Party (AWP).
During the course of proceedings, the IHC CJ expressed displeasure at the Islamabad police chief’s absence from the court. “We did not expect this of your government. You are the representative of the state here, it is the state’s job to protect its people,” he reportedly said to the deputy commissioner, adding that the government should admit if it was wrong.
“We will get to the bottom of this case. How could you question someone’s patriotism? Do you think constitutional courts will shut their eyes on a matter like this?” CJ Minallah remarked while giving the deputy commissioner a week’s time to consult the Islamabad police chief and come up with a report on the incident.
Pashteen, who is still in state custody, was arrested up from the Tahkal area of Peshawar last week. According to the FIR [First Information Report] filed against the PTM chief, he is accused of using threatening and derogatory language against the state during a gathering in Dera Ismail Khan on January 18.
Pashteen was last Monday presented before a court that handed him over to law enforcement authorities on a 14-day judicial remand.
Support has started pouring in for rights activist and Awami Workers’ Party (AWP) Punjab President Ammar Rashid, who along with dozens of others, was arrested by Islamabad police for staging a protest outside the National Press Club in Islamabad against the arrest of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leader Manzoor Pashteen.
Lawmakers, including PTM’s Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir; AWP Vice President Ismat Raza Shahjahan, rights activists and students among 30 protesters were rounded up by the police on Tuesday. After being detained for four hours, the arrestees were finally transferred to the Kohistan Police Station, where a case was registered against them.
With the detainees being presented before a court on Wednesday, 23 of them were sent to jail on a 14-day judicial remand, journalist Rabia Mehmood tweeted.
23 Pakistani human rights defenders sent on judicial remand for 14 days are prisoners of conscience, & must be immediately/unconditionally released. Peaceful assembly is neither unlawful nor a riot. PROTEST IS A RIGHT NOT A CRIME. Cc @ImranKhanPTI#releasealislamabadprotestershttps://t.co/yKE8FSRYKs
It wasn’t later that support from netizens started pouring in for those “exercising their right to protest”.
“Esa’s father is in chains for demanding his right to speak, life, fair trial and justice. State declared him a traitor, a rebel,” journalist and rights activist Shabnam Buneri wrote in a Facebook post.
Here’s what Twitterati have to say about the arrests:
We got to see everyone for a couple of minutes at the F-8 kachehri. Seeing Issa getting all excited to see his father @AmmarRashidT was heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. ❤️ Sub comrades ki jeddojehd ko surkh salam! #ReleaseIslamabadProtestorspic.twitter.com/wEOcWB2l4S
Members of AWP alongwith the other protestors were produced in the court today. The arguments have been presented by both sides. We are proud of our brave comrades who stood firm in the face of oppression and brutality #ReleaseIslamabadProtestorspic.twitter.com/CkEnZYIklI
Mother of Nawfil Saleemi speaking about his son and the rest of the political prisoners of Islamabad protest. More power to her and mothers like her. She fought against Zia and today her son is fighting the fight now #ReleaseIslamabadProtestorspic.twitter.com/defljIX82A
Earlier in the day, Mohsin Dawar was released by Islamabad police. The lawmaker confirmed the development on Twitter.
After arrest we were distributed in various thanas, I was told by the police that they were setting me free. I told them that I will not go until all the others are set free as well. Then they came back again, telling me that they will set all free so I decided to leave-3
“I was told by the police that they were setting me free,” he wrote on the micro-blogging website. “I told them that I will not go until all the others are set free as well. Then they came back again, telling me that they will set all free, so I decided to leave.”
Pashteen, who is still in state custody, was arrested up from the Tahkal area of Peshawar in the early hours of Monday. According to the FIR filed against the PTM chief, he is accused of using threatening and derogatory language against the state during a gathering in Dera Ismail Khan on January 18.
Pashteen was on Monday presented before a court that handed him over to law enforcement authorities on a 14-day judicial remand.
Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) chief Manzoor Pashteen has been arrested from Shaheen Town of Peshawar during the wee hours of Monday, Dawn reported.
According to reports, the Pashtun rights activist was arrested in a case registered against him at the City Police Station in Dera Ismail Khan on January 18 under sections 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups), 120-B (punishment of criminal conspiracy), 124 (sedition), and 123-A (condemning the creation of the country and advocating the abolishment of its sovereignty) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Confirming the arrest, officials at the Tahkal Police Station said that Pashteen was currently in the custody of Peshawar police, but will be shifted to Dera Ismail Khan.
“Police will present Pashteen before a judicial magistrate for his transitory remand,” the official was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, senior PTM leader and lawmaker Mohsin Dawar has condemned the arrest. “This is our punishment for demanding our rights in a peaceful and democratic manner. Manzoor’s arrest will only strengthen our resolve. We demand the immediate release of Manzoor Pashteen,” he tweeted.
Last night Manzoor Pashteen was arrested in Tehkaal, Peshawar. This is our punishment for demanding our rights in a peaceful & democratic manner. But Manzoor’s arrest will only strengthen our resolve. We demand the immediate release of Manzoor Pashteen.#ReleaseManzoorPashteen
PTM is a rights-based alliance that, besides calling for the de-mining of the former tribal areas and greater freedom of movement in the latter, has insisted on an end to the practices of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and unlawful detentions, and for their practitioners to be held to account within a truth and reconciliation framework.
The party has been critical of the army’s policies in the country’s tribal belt, where a massive operation against terrorists was conducted in recent times leading to large-scale displacement and enforced disappearances.
Internet is divided over the arrest, as it is on the policy and aims of the social movement.
