Pashtun Tahafuz Movement: Dissent in the mountains

Pakistani authorities have banned the movement that has organised tens of thousands of Pashtuns over the years, demanding protection from persecution

The Pashtun ethnic community, the second-largest demographic group in Pakistan, has complained about marginalisation in the country for decades. The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), which translates to Pashtun Protection Movement, is a grassroots organisation focused on the rights of the community, especially in the mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and tribal areas. The movement advocates for the protection of the community from persecution.

On October 6, the Pakistani government banned the PTM under anti-terror laws, citing its involvement in activities that are “prejudicial to the peace and security of the country”.

Amnesty International criticised the ban, calling it an “affront on the rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly in the country”. “For years, the Pakistani authorities have suppressed such movements from marginalised regions by resorting to unlawful use of force, enforced disappearances, and media bans on the coverage of protests or rallies,” Babu Ram Pant, Amnesty’s Deputy Regional Director for South Asia, said.

The PTM was established in 2014 as the Mahsud Tahafuz Movement by students to remove landmines from northern Pakistan, which is home to Pashtuns and other local tribals. The group rose to prominence in 2018 during the protests against the killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud, a young Pashtun, by the police in Karachi. The group rebranded itself as the PTM, demanding protection against extrajudicial killings.

Hotbed of militancy

The PTM is mostly active in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region near the Afghanistan border, which has been a hotbed of militant activities since the days of ‘Afghan jihad’ in the late 1970s. The region was also previously a part of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, commonly called FATA, which existed until 2018.

According to an analysis by Zainab Akhter at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi, “Post-9/11, the tribal areas again came under focus as al-Qaeda terrorists and Taliban cadres fleeing Afghanistan landed up there forcing the Pakistan Army to launch multiple operations to either eliminate or flush out these elements. In the days since, the whole area dominated by the Pashtuns has witnessed armed action leading to death, deprivation, disappearances and large-scale displacement of civilian population.” These developments led to the rise of a group like the PTM.

The group is led by Manzoor Pashteen from Waziristan, who has helped spread the movement across Pakistan, and open branches in other countries, such as Germany.

Mr. Pashteen was booked on terrorism charges in 2022 after he criticised Pakistan’s armed forces. He was arrested in December 2023 after his security guards allegedly shot at the police.

In 2018, Mehsud’s killing inspired a wave of protests in Pakistan, a large part of which were led by the PTM. The group gained massive support from its rallies over the years, which were attended by thousands who believe that violence has destroyed Pashtun areas in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Prominent leaders of the PTM include Ali Wazir and Moshin Dawar, who contested the 2018 general election in Pakistan and made their way to Parliament.

The latest ban on the PTM was placed ahead of the Pashtun National Jirga (court), an unofficial gathering that aims to “uphold the principles of justice, equality, and democratic governance within the Pashtun community”. Led by the PTM, the three-day “jirga” started on October 11 and invited people to preserve the Pashtun heritage and be a part of a “democratic process to shape the destiny of the nation”.

The event was held even though the PTM was outlawed and was attended by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Manzoor Pashteen.

The demands of the jirga included withdrawal of Pakistani military as well as terrorists from Pashtun-inhabited areas within two months.

Published - October 27, 2024 01:52 am IST