On Tuesday, a young boy named Zia ur Rehman was killed by the Punjabi Pak Army in Khadi village, North Waziristan. The Pakistan Army has been implicated in numerous extrajudicial killings and the targeting of innocent civilians under the guise of operations against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Al Qaeda.
The ongoing military operation Azm-e-Istehkam is wreaking havoc, while previous one known as Zarb-e-Azb resulted in the destruction of over 200,000 Pashtun homes and the demolition of 25,000 shops. Additionally, 80,000 Pashtuns have lost their lives. Despite protests from the Pashtun community, the Punjabi Pakistan Army has reportedly allied with the TTP and resettled their families in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The Army’s new operation Azm-e-Istehkam is expected to cause further suffering for the Pashtun community. Pakistan’s economy thrives on war, either by waging conflict within its borders or by engaging in proxy wars externally.
Since Punjabi Pak Army captured Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 1947, Pashtuns have faced genocide, a situation that is feared to worsen. Alongside the rise of terrorism in Pakistan, there is an ongoing genocide of Baloch, Pashtuns, Sindhis, and Kashmiris. The recent killing of Zia ur Rehman underscores the ongoing violence and persecution faced by these communities.