A brutal drone strike by the Punjabi Pak Army has claimed the lives of innocent Pashtun civilians, including three young girls, in Tapi area North Waziristan, marking yet another dark chapter in the military’s targeted violence against the Pashtun community. As grieving parents mourn their children, outrage grows against the military’s use of indiscriminate force under the guise of counter-terrorism. This senseless brutality — with the Prime Minister publicly congratulating the security forces responsible — lays bare the systematic oppression the Pashtun community faces, revealing deep-seated prejudices and genocidal intentions against their people.
In the past week alone, over 10 Pashtun children, other innocent civilians and livestocks have been killed by military operations in Waziristan and nearby regions. With increased demands for accountability from the influential Pashtun jirgas, the Pakistani Army appears to be retaliating against civilians to suppress these calls, spreading terror across entire communities.
This latest tragedy is a part of an intentional strategy by Paki establishment to uproot and oppress the Pashtun population. The military has long orchestrating a campaign to forcibly depopulate these mineral-rich lands — territories predominantly owned by Pashtuns — to secure economic and strategic gains for the Paki establishment comprised of Punjabi elites. Under the guise of “security,” the Army’s presence facilitates control over these areas, enabling the proliferation of terror networks while displacing Pashtun families.