Hafiz Fahad, a native of Bannu who was previously subjected to enforced disappearance, was reportedly killed during in a security operation in Bannu. Fahad was portrayed as one of the attackers in the incident by Pak Army.
The incident occurred on July 17, when a pre-dawn militant raid targeted a rural medical facility and a Punjabi Pak Army base in Bannu, a garrison town in northwestern Pakistan. Bannu and the surrounding districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have experienced almost daily attacks by the Pak Army and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
This event is part of a broader pattern of violence and exploitation that has plagued the region, particularly affecting the Pashtun community. The Punjabi Pakistan Army conducts numerous operations in the name of counter-terrorism, often resulting in the enforced disappearance of local residents. These actions have intensified in the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Ex-FATA) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Since 1947, the Pashtun lands and people have been subject to exploitation by the Punjabi Pak establishment. Pashtuns have been labeled as terrorists or TTP sympathizers, providing a pretext for military operations, abduction, extra-judicial killings and presence in their territories.
The recent killing of Hafiz Fahad is as another instance of this long-standing pattern of abuse and exploitation, highlighting the ongoing plight of the Pashtun people in the region.