The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement United Kingdom (PTM UK) has announced its first demonstration against the Pakistan Army’s military operations in the Pashtun tribal areas. The protest is scheduled for Friday, July 19, at 4:00 p.m. in front of the Pakistan Embassy in London.
This demonstration comes in the wake of a brutal attack on Gilaman Wazir, a Pashtun poet and human rights activist, in Islamabad. PTM UK has strongly condemned this attack and is calling 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.
The organization is urging all Afghans and Pashtuns living in the UK to join the protest and make it a success. PTM UK aims to highlight longstanding issues affecting the Pashtun community, including enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and collective punishment inflicted upon Pashtuns under the guise of counter-terrorism operations.
These issues are not new. Since 1947, the Punjabi Pakistan Army has been exploiting Pashtun lands and people for their interests. Wazir’s case is not isolated, previous detentions by Pak intelligence and military agencies have taken place, despite being predominantly peaceful members of PTM often face violence from the Punjabi Pakistan Army.