Pashtun Tahafuz Movement is at the helm of struggle against the Pakistani oppression. After the brutal arrest and subsequent abduction of its Pashtun leader Manzoor Pashteen, PTM has become more aggressive in its approach to protect the Pashtun rights and freedom. In a latest development, on 14 January, PTM held a mass protest rally in Bannu demanding the immediate release of Manzoor Pashteen along with other PTM activists who are captivated on various false cases.

Since last few weeks, PTM was preparing for the Bannu protest. After Manzoor Pashteen was rearrested by the Jhelum Police from the gates of Adiala prison, the protest gained even more importance among the PTM activists. Hence, they intensified their campaign to make the protest successful. In response to their aggressive campaign, tens of thousands of Pashtuns and PTM activists reached Bannu and raised their voice against the oppression by the Pakistani establishment.  

Bannu administration mischief

However, as expected Pakistan Army left no stone unturned to sabotage the protest. On the dawn of day of jalsa, i.e. January 14, the local police reached at the protest site and vandalized the preparations. Dissent fearing establishment employed the same tactic to thwart the jalsa which was employed to stop the Baloch long march. Bannu administration and local police took with them the speakers and other materials crucial for the protest. PTM has registered strong disappointment over the incident. PTM’s central leader Haji Samad Khan, in a video message, stated that their belongings were stolen by the administration even when all the required permissions were taken by the local PTM unit.

Notably, a significant number of police personnel were also deployed at the site since the morning. Although Khan stated that they would hold the protest as planned.  

Furthermore, some reports also suggest that some of the PTM members were also arrested, and shots were fired on the meeting site. Nonetheless, defying the establishment’s pressure and  sabotage attempt, people participated in the protest rally in a significant numbers. The anger and agony among the protestors were evident by their strong sloganeering. This was commended by the address of Hanif Pashteen, a PTM activists who was recently released from jail after 4 years. Hanif hurled slogans against the Pakistan Army stating it responsible for the terrorism in the region.

PTM sends strong message through Bannu protest

Facing the crowd he yelled, “Yeh jo dehshatgardi hai…” (This is terrorism ) and the crowd reciprocated with “Iske peeche wardi hai” (the uniform is behind this). Also, he also hurled slogans saying, “Yeh wardiwale” (these men in uniform) to which people replied “Dehshatgard” (terrorists).

Meanwhile the slogans were also raised demanding the release of Manzoor Pashteen. The huge influx of Pashtuns in Bannu shook the Pakistan Army to its core. Despite their mischievous acts to sabotage the protest, protestors in Bannu held a successful protest, sending a clear message that coercion can not deter the Pashtuns. After an era of coercion and disrupted life, the people have now become fearless and vocal. Now it’s up to the Pakistan Army to fathom over their long established policy of persecution.

In an urge to revolt against the national slavery, Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement (JSFM) has declared to hold a grand national rally in Sann City on January 17, 2024, commemorating the 120th anniversary of Sain GM Syed, the founder of modern Sindhi Nationalism.

The decision was announced by Sohail Abro, Chairman of JSFM, during a meeting of the central body. The gathering, attended by key officials including Vice Chairman Zubair Sindhi and General Secretary Amar Azadi, aimed to organize the event with discipline. The central leaders also emphasized the importance of the occasion, announcing plans for a cutting ceremony at Syed’s shrine.

However, the JSFM leadership expressed concerns about the actions of the caretaker Sindh government. In fact, they accused the occupying Pak government of planning to grab agricultural lands in Sindh, allegedly in collaboration with military companies. The leaders called attention to the use of various tactics to harass political national workers in Sindh and highlighted cases of activists being forcibly abducted and imprisoned on false charges.

In a joint statement, the JSFM central leadership urged international organizations to take notice of these alleged human rights violations and called for the release of detained national activists. The leaders emphasized their commitment to holding a peaceful national rally on January 17, inviting youth, women, and children to participate.

Sohail Abro, Central Chairman of JSFM, reiterated the movement’s call for the Sindhi nation to challenge this national slavery. He encouraged all national workers to attend the upcoming rally as a show of solidarity against the challenges faced by the community.

Protests in Pakistan have become a common practice because of the negligent establishment which is habitual of ignoring the causes of common people. In a series of these protests, a huge Chaman protest is ongoing for past three months, and as expected, no constructive and solution-oriented approach has been taken by Pakistani establishment. On the contrary, it has used its coercive power to make the protest go unreported. Its pitiful that a peaceful protest that is happening for so long and relates to a densely populated community has been kept alienated.

Notably, Chaman is one of the busiest and most popular border crossing routes at the Durand line, which is used by the Pashtuns to enter Afghanistan for trade and meet their relatives. Instead of facilitating them and crafting a more people-oriented policy, Pakistan abruptly suspended the long-established norms and made the passport mandatory.

Long established Tazkira provision suspended

For years traders and other people with relatives across the border have travelled to either side of the border. The presence of a community on both sides of the border makes the issue complicated. Earlier, Pakistan had employed a provision of issuing daily slips called Tazkira, as a permission to cross the border with a condition of an evening return. Along with Tazkira, Pashtun-Afghans had to show their national identity card.

But in October, Pakistan announced that this provision of Tazkira would be suspended and a new “one document regime” would be enforced from 1 November. This enraged the masses and hence on October 23, a large number of protestors with a count of more than 35, 000 started Chaman protest.

They are demanding that the erstwhile Tazkira rule should be reinstated, and that the compulsion of passport should be ended with immediate effect. However, Pakistan has completely ignored these demands.

Reason behind Pakistan’s ignorance of Chaman protest

Actually, Pakistan always thought that the Taliban regime, once comes to power, would be friendly and would allow Pakistan to change the long-contended Durand line as per its own wish. It also thought that the terrorist which are instrumental to its policies would get a refuge in Afghanistan but under its control. But things changed dramatically, the Afghan Taliban posed a solid diplomatic confrontation to Pakistan on the issue of Durand line. Similarly, TTP also came openly against the Pakistan Army unexpectedly which also became the bone of contention between the terrorist Taliban regime in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Pakistan has for long blamed Taliban for providing safe haven to the TTP.

This friction escalated to the zenith during the Chitral clashes where TTP occupied various villages in territories controlled by Pakistan. In the aforesaid conflict, Pakistan Army faced a humiliating damage at the hands of terrorists which prompted Pakistan to deploy air support. After the clashes, the frustrated Pakistan Army commanded every institution to act against Afghans, which resembled first in the forced repatriation of Afghan refuges residing in Pakistan.

In the same pursuit, Tazkira was also suspended, and passport was made mandatory. It is unfortunate that Pakistan has always employed illicit tactics as a policy and when it backfired, it forced the people to bear the consequences.  Instead of correcting its own policies and taking peaceful recourse, Pakistan has chosen to punish their own population.

So, Chaman protest is a testament to the fact that Pakistan has not only failed at policy level but also its people.