Edited By: Shankhyaneel Sarkar
Last Updated:
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Supporters carry a poster of Manzoor Pashteen (C), the Chief of Pashtun Protection Movement (PTM), during a demonstration in Chaman. (IMAGE: AFP FILE)
Pashtun leader Manzoor Pashteen in a fiery speech warned Pakistani generals and accused the government in Pakistan for clamping down on their rights.
Pashtun leader Manzoor Pashteen at a jirga held in Pakistan’s Khyber issued a strong warning to the Pakistani government and its army. “If the Pakistani army enters your home, break their legs. Their pants are still in Bangladesh…,” Pashteen said, referring to the Pakistani Army’s loss to the Muktijoddha warriors and the Indian Army during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation war.
“We will tell the world who goes inside GHQ and who comes out. Everyone tried to be our captor but everyone, starting from Aurangzeb to the British, failed,” Pashteen said.
He accused the Pakistani government of being responsible for the killings of over 76,500 Pashtuns over a period of 20 years.
“With your behaviour we will not stay with you in Pakistan and you have to leave. Don’t force us to come to Islamabad,” Pashteen further added.
Pashteen’s jirga comes days after Pakistan’s decision to ban a prominent Pashtun civil rights organisation.
On October 6, Pakistan officially labeled the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) as a “proscribed organisation,” accusing it of threatening national security. PTM, a grassroots movement representing the rights of the country’s 40 million Pashtuns, now faces restrictions in a nation of around 240 million people.
Since its formation in 2018, the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) has accused the Pakistani army of using harsh tactics, such as extrajudicial killings, torture, and enforced disappearances, against civilians during counterterrorism operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The province has been the site of numerous operations against the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which have resulted in the deaths of thousands of Pashtun civilians and displaced millions over the past 20 years, reports suggest.
Pashtun leaders believe that the ban was planned and implemented by the Pakistan Army. They are also infuriated because the authorities have tortured and jailed many Pashtun activists.
Indian intelligence sources speaking to CNN-News18 said that the Pashtun community has posed challenges for Pakistan for some time, and these issues have been escalating due to various factors.
“Pashtuns are active on international forums also against Pakistan human right abuse. Pakistan is not a benevolent state and they have the Baloch community as well who are also fighting for their rights,” the sources said.
