Geneva [Switzerland], October 12 : The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), a peaceful grassroots movement advocating for the human rights of the Pashtun ethnic minority in Pakistan, has urged the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk to intervene and lift the illegal ban imposed on PTM by the Pakistani government.
In a letter addressed to the UN High Commissioner, PTM representatives highlighted that on October 6, 2024, the organisation was designated as a "proscribed organization" under Section 11B of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997. They criticised the Pakistani government for failing to provide any evidence against PTM, which has been unjustly accused of activities that undermine peace and security in the country.
The letter emphasised that PTM is itself a victim of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, torture, intimidation, harassment, and violence perpetrated by the Pakistan Army and its intelligence agencies.
On October 9, 2024, Pakistani security forces fired upon innocent PTM workers camped at the proposed site of the Pashtun Grand Jirga in Jamrud, Khyber district, resulting in the deaths of four activists and injuries to many others.
PTM representatives condemned the use of brutal force against peaceful activists advocating for Pashtun rights, asserting that such actions violate international law and the constitution of Pakistan. They also noted that the Pakistani government is misusing its anti-terrorism laws to pursue its agenda, with around 200 Pashtun and Baloch activists from PTM and the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) listed as terrorists under the draconian Anti-Terrorism Act.
The letter revealed alarming reports of three assassination attempts against PTM leader Manzoor Ahmad Pashteen within two weeks, allegedly ordered by Pakistan's military intelligence. Pashteen was warned by a reliable source within the security services that the military had allegedly contacted the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) through the Haqqani Network to eliminate him before the planned October 11 Grand Jirga.
Several PTM leaders and supporters, including Gilaman Wazir, Arman Loni, Sardar Arif Wazir, Senator Usman Kakar, and SSP Tahir Dawar, have been killed, either directly or indirectly through proxy means by Pakistani authorities.
Amnesty International has criticised the ban on PTM, stating that "the Pakistan government's ban on the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement and the use of anti-terrorism laws to target activists and peaceful protesters from minority groups is an affront to the rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly in the country."
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, an independent watchdog, stated that this extreme decision was neither transparent nor warranted, emphasising that PTM has never resorted to violence and has always advocated within the constitutional framework.
In a press conference on October 9, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mohsin Naqvi, warned that "any political party that supports and facilitates PTM will also face consequences," including blocked national identity cards, SIM cards, and cancelled passports.
PTM representatives have urged the United Nations to address this illegal ban with the Pakistani government, asserting that it aims to suppress the freedom of expression and the right to assembly of the Pashtun ethnic minority. They warned that this ban and the subsequent crackdown on PTM activists will further hinder political activism and the right to dissent in Pakistan.