Pakistan has persistently undertaken a crackdown on the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leaders and activists. More recently, a PTM member named Qazi Tahir Masoud has been disappeared by the Pakistan Army.
Reports suggest that Tahir was abducted from his house in Manghopir Karachi at around 4:00 a.m. Being a member of PTM, he has been vocal for the human rights of Pashtuns. Tahir has also been raising his voice over the extra-judicial measures taken by the Pakistan authorities to oppress the people across Pakistan.
As of now, his whereabouts remain unknown. PTM has warned that if he is not released, their workers will organise a sit-in demonstration in front of the Mangopir Sultanabad police station. Abduction and enforced disappearances have been the tool of the Pakistan Army and its subsequent “so-called” law enforcement machinery. They use it to crush the voice of dissent.
After the Islamabad jalsa of PTM, Pakistan authorities are using every tactic possible to subvert the Pashtun masses. The large number of Pashtuns that gathered in Islamabad shook the Pakistan authorities and Army from its roots. Hence, with the sole motive of brutally crushing the Pashtun Movement, a series of illegal arrests and detention have ensued that needs to be highlighted.