Pakistan’s oppressive military establishment has once again silenced a vocal critic through violence. Mufti Munir Shakir, a respected Islamic scholar and supporter of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), was assassinated in a bomb blast outside a mosque in Peshawar. The attack, widely believed to be orchestrated by Pakistan Army-affiliated gunmen, highlights the military’s continued persecution of Pashtuns and who challenge Panjabi Pakistani policies.
Mufti Munir Shakir was an outspoken critic of Panjabi Pakistani policies and its exploitative policies against the Pashtun people. His support for PTM—a grassroots movement demanding justice for enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and military excesses—had unsettled Rawalpindi’s military elite. Despite his popularity among locals, his opposition to the military’s stranglehold on Pakistan’s political and religious structures made him a prime target.
Pashtun Leaders Condemn the Murder
At his funeral in Bagh-e-Naran, Barkat Afridi, spokesperson of the Pashtun National Jirga, strongly condemned the assassination, calling it yet another example of the Paki establishment’s brutal oppression of Pashtuns.
“There should be no question whether Pashtuns are oppressed—it is an undeniable fact,” Afridi declared. He revealed that the Pashtun National Jirga had repeatedly sought justice from provincial and federal occupying-governments, but their pleas were ignored. He called Mufti Munir Shakir’s murder a “turning point” that would further unite the Pashtun nation in its struggle against the Paki establishment’s systematic suppression.
Mufti Munir Shakir’s transformation from a local cleric into an ethno-nationalist leader had alarmed the military establishment. His critiques extended beyond military excesses—he exposed how Pakistan Army’s intelligence agencies manipulated religious seminaries (madrasas) to influence domestic politics and advance their foreign policy goals.
Terror Against Pashtuns
Former Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh, known for his staunch opposition to Pakistan’s interference in Afghanistan, noted on social media platform ‘X’ that Mufti Shakir’s assassination was inevitable given his increasing influence.
In the aftermath of his assassination, Mufti Munir Shakir’s son publicly accused Pakistan’s intelligence services of orchestrating the attack. This accusation aligns with the military’s long history of targeting Pashtun activists, journalists, and political leaders through extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.
Mufti Munir Shakir had also condemned the Pak Army Chief’s hypocrisy in selectively quoting Quranic verses to justify crackdowns on dissent while detaining thousands of innocent Pashtuns. His fearless criticism of the establishment’s religious exploitation was likely another factor leading to his assassination.
Since Pakistan’s continued exploitation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the military has used extreme measures to silence resistance. The enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and state-sponsored terrorism against Pashtuns have long been tools of governance for the Paki establishment. Mufti Munir Shakir’s murder is yet another example of how the military systematically eliminates those who challenge its power.