In a tragic escalation of violence, Punjabi Pak Army shelling has killed two Pashtun laborers and injured seven others working in a pine nuts forest in the Birmal area of South Waziristan. It has been less than a week since a 15-year-old girl was killed by shelling from a Pak Army gunship helicopter in the Tirah Maidan region, near the Afghan border.
These incidents are a stark example of the heavy-handed tactics employed by the Pakistan Army in a region already besieged by military occupation.
South and North Waziristan, heavily militarized and dotted with military checkpoints, have become the epicenter of a brutal campaign aimed at controlling and de-populating this resource-rich area. The recent spike in military activity reflects worsening the condition of Pashtuns who bear the brunt of these frequent military actions.
The Punjabi Pakistan Army has intensified its scrutiny of Pashtuns under the guise of security operations. This strategy, however, only serves to justify aggressive and indiscriminate actions that have dire consequences for the Pashtuns. The Army’s heavy-handed approach, marred by ethnic biases and geopolitical maneuvering, has led to significant suffering and loss of life among innocent Pashtuns.
The plight of Pashtuns in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has long been exacerbated by the Punjabi military’s exploitation and marginalization. Since the military’s occupation of the Khyber region in 1947, Pashtuns have faced relentless violence, exploitation, and discrimination. The Army’s tactics, including indiscriminate shelling, abductions, extrajudicial killings, and staged encounters, have made the region unstable.