Manzoor Pashteen has issued a statement highlighting the dire state of affairs the Pashtun community has been subjected to. He recalled the nerve-wracking instance when the retired justice Javed Iqbal made a startling revelation. In 2018, Justice Iqbal alleged that Pakistan had sold around 4,000 Pashtun individuals who were reported missing to the United States during General Musharraf’s era. 

Pashteen showed how in Pakistan, a former prime minister (Imraan Khan) could face imprisonment for something as seemingly trivial as selling watches, while another minister (Khawaja Asif) could be incarcerated for holding an Iqama. Yet there are no consequences of selling 4,000 Pashtun. The general doesn’t even receive a day in jail.

No one has ever been convicted of committing such a heinous crime. This stark contrast leads to a disturbing conclusion: the value of Pashtun lives in the eyes of the Pakistani state is significantly lower than that of a few thousand watches.

Manzoor  highlighted the pattern of treatment towards different ethnic and regional groups within Pakistan. The tradition of punishing and tormenting leaders and workers of Pashtun, Baloch, Sindhi, Muhajir, Kashmiri, or Gilgit-Baltistan merely for delivering a mere speech to demand their rights has been inherited by the Army from the British, which is still ongoing. However, those who endorse cruelty should listen carefully. There is still time, otherwise, “tyranny and oppressors will perish again.”

The Pashtun nation (Pashtunistan) has been used as a tool in Pakistan’s proxy war. It has consistently been exploited by the ISI and the Pakistani military as a significant instrument of promoting Islamic extremism. The PTM has consistently raised its voice against the heinous actions perpetrated by the Pakistan Army. The Army has executed enforced disappearances, illegal detentions, victim torture, and imposing constraints on freedom of speech and movement. These issues have plagued the Pashtuns and Balochs since Pakistan forcefully annexed their homelands.

The call of Pashtunistan is making waves across Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) headed by Manzoor Pashteen is making strides for the freedom of the region from the clutches of totalitarian Pakistan, that thrived on their land and resources and alienated them from their rights.    

It must be noted that PTM, since its inception, has been a non-violent organization which has organized various jalsas from time to time. While mostly, these jalsas have been organized in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, this time a fierce call was made by Manzoor Pashteen to organize the jalsa in Islamabad. PTM called its members and supporters to reach Islamabad in larger numbers for the jalsa on August 18. Soon, the call was made, Pakistan authorities came in action and started to thwart the jalsa.

Pakistan Army along with the other law enforcement machinery made every attempt to stop people coming from across Pakistan. In Khyber -Pakhtunkhwa, the caravans were stopped at various places to make the jalsa unsuccessful. Thousands of participants were arrested by Pakistan Army across Pakistan. Evidently, this underscores Pakistan’s attitude towards people according to which it always tries to suppress the voice of oppressed.

Pashteen raised this concern and said, “Our struggle will continue. We have given the message for all caravans to gather at Tarnol Chowk.” After PTM’s Islamabad rally was successful, nervous Pakistan Army arrested the key leaders of the movement including, former law maker Ali Wazir and human right activists Imaan Mazari.

PTM’s Islamabad Rally Made Pak Army Nervous

Apparently, Pakistan Army was insecure with PTM rally in Islamabad because it holds a significance. First, Islamabad is the national capital of Pakistan. It is for the first time that PTM has come out of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and that too so aggressively with an unparalleled support base. This has shaken Pakistan’s false sense of pride. The Pashtuns were so highly motivated that despite every attempt to stop them, they reached Islamabad in lakhs. Prior to the rally, Islamabad was converted into a fort, every part of the city was barricaded and Section 144 was imposed. After failing to thwart the jalsa, Pakistan tried to portray the rally as unsuccessful and spread a false narrative that only 3000 people had gathered in the rally.

By breaking barriers, Pashtuns made it clear that their patience has a limit and Pakistan should detest from testing it. While addressing PTM’s Islamabad rally, Manzoor Pashteen said, “They (Pakistan) neither believe in Constitution nor Islam, all they believe is indulging in mischievous acts. So listen to Pashtun history and remember what Pashtuns have done to such trouble-makers.”

Secondly, PTM’s Islamabad rally is more important for the Pashtun Movement because Islamabad is in the proximity of Rawalpindi, which is the headquarters of the Pakistan Army. It is a well established fact that Pakistan is ruled by the Pak Army. Anything that happens in Pakistan follows the course defined by the Army. So, by organising jalsa in Islamabad, PTM has directly challenged the Pakistan Army. PTM has out rightly denied the existence of any nation called “Pakistan”. In his address he said, “There is no nation here, few mischievous, goon generals have created a gang through which they have illegally occupied territories. The puppet parliament is just a requisite of these goons.”

Firm Message To Pakistan Army

Pashteen’s statement clearly shows his disappointment regarding the attitude of Pakistan. Since its formation, PTM has always called for the non-violent protests. Its members and supporters have been brutally killed or disappeared by the Pakistan Army. Still it left no stone unturned to achieve its objective while resorting to protests. But, Pakistan Army which works with an imperial and autocratic mindset remained negligent. Consequently, Pashtuns have now become more profound in raising their voice. They are now ready to challenge the establishment. PTM has said that Pakistan is coercing them to incorporate violent practices, which they don’t want to pursue until the last resort is sought.

While warning the Pakistan Army, Manzoor Pasteen took the cognizance of Pakistan’s loss in 1971 war. He said, “Bengalis have pulled your (Pakistan Army) pants, we Pashtuns and Baloch will flay your skin.” He clearly indicated towards the atrocities against Bengalis in the then East Pakistan. During the 1971 war of liberation, Mukti Baahini along with Indian army fought against Pakistan and formed Bangladesh. His statement tends to draw parallel between the conditions of Bengalis with that of Baloch, Pashtuns. Pashteen’s statement is a stern message to Pakistan Army that PTM will now count on every resort which is needed for the freedoms of Pashtuns from the clutches of Pakistan.

The recent arrest of Ali Wazir and Imaan Mazari has sparked discussions about selective treatment within Pakistan’s legal system. Manzoor Pashteen has shared his thoughts on the matter.

“Ali was in jail in Karachi while I protested his arrest,” Pashtun explains, shedding light on his stance. He mentions that his name was included in the same legal report (FIR). “Although authorities claim they will consider all angles, they are (Paki establishment) aware that my arrest could trigger strong reactions from the public and Pashtun community,” Pashteen shares. He adds that the Pakistan Army understands the potential consequences of detaining him, which is likely why they haven’t done so.

Pashteen emphasizes the role of media for leaders in Pakistan. “Every leader here gains support through media. It’s the way to connect with people and spread messages,” he remarks. He raises concerns about the media blackout on his narrative.

Talking about limitations, Pashteen highlights the numerous areas where they face restrictions. “We’re not allowed to visit Balochistan, Kashmir, Sindh, and various places in Pashtunkhwa,” he points out. He questions the reasons behind these limitations and the instances of aggression they encounter.

Pashteen also acknowledges the power of social media. “Social media is now a strong tool targeting us,” he observes. He notes that opposing the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) often seems to please the Pakistan Army.

It should be noted that on 18 August, an immense rally took place in Islamabad, drawing thousands of Pashtuns and Balochs to challenge the very foundations of the Pakistan “establishment”. This event served as the back drop on which the Pakistan officials arrested the PTM leaders – Ali Wazir and Imaan Mazari.

It sounds like a typical Hollywood potboiler. Two contentious bills that strike at the very heart of the democratic rights of citizens that are introduced in the Pakistan’s National Assembly are hastily passed and sent to the President for his approval. Nothing is heard about these bills from the President’s office and after ten days it is announced that these bills have become laws, and this is where things take an unexpected twist.

This news seems to take Pakistani President Arif Alvi by complete surprise and he quickly takes to social media and with God as his witness, makes the startling revelation that he never signed these bills as he “disagreed with these laws”. He goes on to state that “I asked my staff to return the bills unsigned within stipulated time to make them ineffective. I confirmed from them many times that whether they have been returned & was assured that they were.”

Alvi’s claim that “I have found out today that my staff undermined my will and command” raises a very pertinent question- as he holds the highest position of authority in the country, how could someone dare defy orders issued by the President of Pakistan? While no definite answers can be given, the one logical deduction which can be made is that whosoever on President Alvi’s staff took this decision was either acting on orders or had the blessings of someone who was interested in seeing these bills become laws and whose power and authority exceeds that of the President of Pakistan.

It’s no secret that the latest amendments to the Official Secrets and Army Act have specifically been made to serve a stick to beat former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his PTI supporters with and keep them out of the forthcoming electoral race. So, Rawalpindi is most certainly interested in ensuring that these two bills become laws. And it’s also no secret that the Pakistan Army chief is the one who calls the shots in Pakistan.

Readers would recall that while nominating the then Pakistan Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa as the 68th most powerful person in the world in its 2018 list, Forbes mentioned that “Although the president is his boss on paper, Pakistan’s chief of army staff is de facto the most powerful person in the nuclear armed state.” So, there can be no two views that if what President Alvi is saying is true, then Gen Syed Asim Munir is definitely the one on whose orders the bills weren’t returned by the President’s Office.

However, there’s also a flip side to this entire episode. After President Alvi went public claiming that he had not signed these bills and his orders to return the same were disregarded, int­erim Law Minister Ahmed Irfan Aslam and Infor­mation Minister Mur­taza Solangi held a joint press conference and gave their side of the story. It was clarified that any bills pending at the Presidency for more than 10 days automatically becomes a law.

Aslam further clarified that “Under Article 75 of the Constitution, the president only has two options: either to sign a bill or reject it; in case of rejection, he has to give reasons for returning the bills unsigned.” In an obvious reference to President Alvi’s claim that he had asked his staff to return the bills, the interim Law Minister clarified that “Returning the bills without any observations or assent is not provided for in the Constitution.”

Could this incident be a simple case of the president’s staff wilfully disobeying his orders as being claimed by President Alvi? Is his contention that “I confirmed from them many times whether they [the Official Secrets and Army Amendment Bills] have been returned and was assured that they were,” true; or, is the failure to return the bills within 10 days a classic case of running with the hare and hunting with the hounds on the president’s part to allow them to become laws through default?

And it’s here that the mystery deepens.

While President Alvi has complained that though he disagreed with the bills they still became laws as his staff “undermined” his “will and command,” he hasn’t spoken a word about taking those responsible for this unpardonable lapse to task. Given the seriousness of this blunder, isn’t it surprising that while the President is seeking “forgiveness from those who will be effected” by these draconian laws, he doesn’t consider it necessary to disciple his errant staff?

By saying that his orders were intentionally disregarded by his staff President Alvi has clearly admitted existence of vested interests within the President’s secretariat, and this certainly demeans the office of the President of Pakistan and merits legal action against him, even it is means impeachment.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Law and Justice has in a statement accused President Alvi of “purposely” delaying the approval of the bills, and said that “It is a matter of concern that the president has chosen to discredit his own officials. The president should take responsibility for his own actions.” However, it has not mentioned anything on the issue of initiating legal action against him for what it’s clearly suggesting is a pack of lies.

Similarly the interim Information Minister has also ruled out any action against the president saying “The sanctity and respect of the president’s office do not allow us to make any such move,” adding that “No action can be taken against him till he is in his office.”  So, at the end of the day, while President Alvi’s claim that he had not consented to the Official Secrets and Army Amendment Bills may have stirred a hornet’s nest, it has also strengthened his position as a die-hard PTI supporter.

The new caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar’s proximity to the military is well known. Hence, could the caretaker government’s decision not to proceed against the president actually be a Rawalpindi ‘approved’ quid pro quo for the intentional delay by President Alvi that facilitated seamless approval of the Official Secrets and Army Amendment Bills? Lastly, could this face-saving exercise to boost Alvi’s image actually be part of a bigger plot hatched by Rawalpindi to ‘cultivate’ him for serving as a nail in Imran Khan’s political coffin?

It may sound weird, but as they say-anything is possible in Pakistan!

Lured by raw materials including ivory, rubber, palm oil, cocoa, tea, diamonds and tin, European colonial powers, between 1833 and 1940 steadily acquired control over Africa. By the eve of the first world war, they had colonized nearly 90 per cent of the continent. The feverish undertaking was described as the scramble for Africa, following the Berlin conference of 1884, where Europe’s rapidly industrialising countries sought an orderly exploitation of the continent’s resources. 

More than a century later, and with the first phase of decolonisation over during the Cold War, the African economies are once again set to play a pivotal role on account of their resources. In the coming years the world is bound to scramble for rare earth elements and other critical minerals such as copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt in a bid to switch to clean energy backed by changing geopolitical and geo-economic dynamics.

The inclusion of the two-decade old African Union (AU) into the G20 bloc, as pitched by India, will therefore be critical, in ensuring that Africa, instead of being short changed, benefits from its resources that will power the new economy. Thus, the inclusion of AU will give it a voice at a time when the world is turning towards the continent amid a shift in power play towards the Global South.

Analysts said that India, which is currently the G20 chair, must complete the process of including the African bloc by the end of the term.

Many of the group’s most prominent members, including the United States, China, Japan, Germany, and France, have endorsed full membership for the AU, which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proposed granting at the upcoming G20 summit in New Delhi, the Project Syndicate noted.

About 30 per cent of the world’s critical mineral reserves are found in Africa. To meet the expected rise in global demand, the production of minerals and metals such as lithium, graphite and cobalt will need to increase by nearly 500 per cent by 2050, a study by the United Nations Environment Programme revealed.

“Considering this the AU must play a more focused role and channelise economic agendas, investments and trade related to critical minerals,” an Africa expert told India Narrative.

According to Africa Business, how the continent responds to the insatiable demand for its critical minerals could determine the continent’s growth trajectory in the decades to come. Currently, most of the mineral mining projects in the continent are driven by the Chinese.

Several other issues need to be resolved.

To begin with AU will need a strong representative or ‘Sherpa’ to turn things around.

While the AU has traditionally succeeded in shaping African views on diplomatic matters, opinions on economic policy tend to be fragmented and are offered only sporadically, the PS said.

Analysts also pointed out that the AU would need more coordination among its member states and present uniformity.

Baker McKenzie in a note said that for Africa, the focus now is firmly on how the global demand for critical minerals can be translated into the sustainable growth of its mineral mining operations and production facilities, and how it can be ensured that this growth will benefit the African continent and its people, not just in terms of the demand for critical minerals, but in how the continent can make use of its own resources to ramp up its energy transition and provide the continent with much needed access to clean power.The AU needs to take a lead role in chalking out a strategy to ensure Africa’s role in maintaining the supply chain for these critical minerals.

All eyes on Africa 

Meanwhile, Africa has taken centre stage with South Africa hosting the 15th BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) summit in Johannesburg.

A host of African countries including Egypt, Ethiopia Alegria, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe have also expressed their interest in joining the BRICS bloc.

“Africans are not interested in the illusion of coordination. They want to see real change and real impact in tangible ways that benefit them and their societies,” South China Morning Post quoted Cameron Hudson, senior associate at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies’ Africa programme as saying.

(This article was first published in India Narrative)

In a shocking turn of events, the recent incident in Jaranwala has ignited widespread condemnation, with the Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement (JSFM) at the forefront, denouncing the act. The press release issued by the JSFM center has highlighted the gravity of the situation and its implications on society.

The chairman of Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement, Sahil Abro, along with key members including Vice President Zubair Sindhi, Amr Azadi, Sudhu Sindhi, Hafiz Deshi, and Parh Sindhu, expressed their profound disappointment over the incident. They strongly condemned the event, emphasizing that such atrocities tarnish humanity’s collective conscience.

Punjab Pattern In Working

The press release emphasizes the recurring pattern of such incidents in Punjab. The JSFM leaders assert that under the guise of religion, certain individuals resort to heinous acts, including burning people alive and targeting places of worship. The incident in Jaranwala, where a Christian place of worship was set ablaze, is seen as another link in this chain of events.

Furthermore, the JSFM leadership raised concerns about the involvement of state institutions in supporting those who employ religious extremism as a weapon. The leaders questioned the lack of legal consequences for those who perpetrate acts like burning graves in the name of religion. They also highlighted the immense suffering inflicted upon the Christian community, asserting that such actions are not only inhumane but also demonstrate the impact of state-backed extremism on families.

Similarly, on the tragic incident in Ranipur, the JSFM leadership expressed deep sorrow over the loss of innocent child Fatima. They strongly condemned the event and called for a thorough and transparent inquiry into the incident. The tragic event in Ranipur, where 10-year-old innocent Fatima lost her life after being tortured and raped by the Pir in Khairpur, got widespread attention when a video went viral on social media. The viral video in which Fatima was yearning before dying has prompted widespread grief and underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive investigation.

Days after the radical lslamists ransacked 21 Churches and various other houses of Christian minorities, another Christian man has been killed by a mob of Islamic fundamentalists in Sheikhpura Punjab, Pakistan.

A viral video being circulated on social media, shows a frenzied mob targeting a man named Malik Ijaz, while the gunshots could be heard in the background. The mob barged into his house and vandalized it. They looted and threw the belongings on the road.  Later, Ijaz was shot dead.

In addition, a church was also desecrated by the radical Islamists belonging to Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). They also inscribed phrases related to Allah and Prophet, on the walls of the Church. The erasure of which could potentially incite another blasphemy case.

The Pakistan government has so far failed to stop these acts. And that is probably because of its overindulgence with the groups that are involved in such heinous acts. The conditions of minorities is descending across Pakistan and the law enforcement have knelt down in front of the Paki radical Islamists.