Government of Pakistan Ban on Pashtun Protection Movement

Pakistan’s Interior Ministry has announced a ban on the Pashtun Protection Movement (PTM).

In the notification issued by the Ministry of Interior on Sunday, it has been said that ‘in the light of concrete evidence, it has been decided to ban the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement.’

The notification issued by the Ministry of Interior states that ‘PTM is involved in spreading anti-national narratives and anarchy.’

The Ministry of Home Affairs has officially issued a notification banning PTM, after which it will be implemented.

Abdul Samad, a member of PTM central core committee and spokesperson of Pashtun Jirga, told Independent Urdu regarding the decisions of the core committee meeting that “our workers have endured jail, torture, arrests and other hardships for the past six years.” are.’

He said that ‘the state could do as much as what is wrong with us, what more can they do with us after banning and that is why banning will not affect our movement.’

Abdul Samad said that ‘we have also given martyrdoms in the movement and also held funerals, but we are not afraid of ban.’

Regarding the Jirga, Abdul Samad said that it has been decided in the core committee meeting that the Jirga will be held in any case and still a large number of people are gathered at the Jirga venue.

Two days ago on October 4, the Peshawar High Court said regarding the ‘National Jirga’ scheduled by PTM in Khyber district that ‘Let the Jirga be held and then we will see what they do.’

The petition filed against the ‘Qumi Jirga’ was heard on Friday by a two-member bench comprising Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Waqar Ahmed of the Peshawar High Court.

Khatriullah, a resident of Khyber district, has filed a petition in the Peshawar High Court against the ‘National Jirga’ of PTM, requesting to stop the Jirga.

The position of the petitioner was that after the formation of Pakistan, there are courts in the country and courts have also been established in the annexed districts.

“PTM wants to promote racism and establish a parallel court in the name of ‘Pashtun National Court’ in Khyber district, for which invitations have also been issued.”

The petitioner’s stand was that ‘since the decisions of Jirga and Panchayat are based on inhumane punishments, the court should stay the October 11 Jirga of PTM.’

Earlier on October 1, PTM had said that on Tuesday night, Peshawar police raided the meeting place of ‘Pashtun Qaumi Jirga’ in Jamrud area of ​​Khyber district, and later there were clashes between police and PTM workers. are

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PTM chief Manzoor Pashteen claimed in his ongoing statement that firing and shelling have also been done during the Peshawar police raid, in which many workers have been injured while tents were also pulled down.

Manzoor Pashteen’s statement said that the jirga organizers had then put up the tents again, which were later allegedly shelled and fired upon by the police, videos of which were also circulating on social media.

The PTM had planned to hold a jirga called ‘Pashtun Qaumi Jirga/Court’ in Khyber district on October 11 against the ongoing unrest across the province.

Leaders of all political parties, nationalists and various other leaders from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan were invited for this jirga.

The Jirga was to continue for three days for which a regular schedule was also announced in which the members of the Jirga convened on the three days would hold various sessions and discuss the issues of the area.

Tents were pitched for the jirga in Rigi Llama area of ​​Khyber.

Manzoor Pashteen said in the statement issued after the raid that ‘all the powers of the world cannot fail our Jirga and we will continue to hold Jirga.’

He had said that ‘all the workers should reach the Jirga ground along with the goods and bedding and strongly condemn the raid by the police. The police have also arrested some sick workers.

According to Manzoor Pashteen: ‘We are conducting the Jirga to control the unrest in the Pashtun region but it is a shame that we shout that the people and the police are one but the police raided the Jirga organizers when they were sleeping. had been.’