Gilaman Wazir, a central council member of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) and an emerging Pashto poet, passed away on Thursday at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital in Islamabad.
PTM leader Manzoor Pashteen announced Wazir’s death outside PIMS Hospital, stating that despite exhaustive efforts to save him, Gilaman Wazir succumbed to his injuries.
Pashteen said several associates of Azad Dawar assaulted Wazir in Islamabad, beating him so severely that local doctors were unable to provide adequate treatment. Additionally, Wazir had been barred from traveling abroad for further medical assistance.
A case has been registered at Sangjani Police Station in Islamabad by Zameen Khan against Azad Dawar and 10-12 accomplices for their involvement in the attack on Wazir.
On July 10, SHO Ashiq Khan of Sangjani Police Station confirmed that the suspect had been identified and that CCTV footage of the incident had been obtained. However, the suspect’s location and office in Islamabad were found to be closed, and reports suggest he has left the city.
Efforts are being made to dispatch police to North Waziristan to apprehend the suspect and his accomplices. However, authorities have yet to grant permission for the operation in Waziristan.
Gilaman Wazir
Earlier, PTM UK protested and strongly condemned the attack. The organisation called on the United Nations to pressure Pakistan to cease the killing and torture of oppressed tribes and to ensure that Wazir’s attackers are punished according to law.
Since 1947, the Punjabi Pakistan Army has been exploiting Pashtun lands and people. Wazir’s case is not an isolated incident; the Pak establishment continuously inflicts violence on activists. Despite the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) being predominantly peaceful, its members frequently face aggression from the Punjabi Pak Army.
Gilaman Wazir, born Hazrat Naeem, was a native of Asad Khel, Razmak, in North Waziristan. Wazir had previously worked as a laborer in Bahrain but was expelled in 2020 after the Pak Army accused him of sending funds to PTM. His name was subsequently placed on Pakistan’s Exit Control List.
Wazir hailed from Asad Khel village in Razmak Tehsil, North Waziristan. He is survived by two brothers, who work abroad, six sisters, and his mother. His father passed away some years ago.