Pashtun Tahafuz Movement

Pashtun Tahafuz Movement
پښتون ژغورنې غورځنګ (Pashto)
پشتون تحفظ تحریک (Urdu)
Pashtun Protection Movement
AbbreviationPTM[1]
FoundedMay 2014; 10 years ago (2014-05)
FounderEight Students
TypeHuman rights movement
PurposeProtection and rights of Pashtuns
Chairman
Manzoor Pashteen
WebsitePashtun Tahafuz Movement on Facebook
Formerly called
Mahsud Tahafuz Movement (From May 2014 until January 2018)[1]
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The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM; Pashto: پښتون ژغورنې غورځنګ, Paṣtūn Zhghōrənē Ghōrźang; Urdu: پشتون تحفظ تحریک, Pashtūn Tahaffuz Tehreek lit. 'Pashtun Protection Movement') is a social movement for Pashtun human rights based in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces of Pakistan. It was founded in May 2014 by eight students in Dera Ismail Khan. On 1 February 2018, the name of the movement was changed from "Mahsud Tahafuz Movement" ('Mahsud Protection Movement') to "Pashtun Tahafuz Movement."

During PTM's public demonstrations and sit-ins since February 2018, several demands were presented to the Pakistani government and military, including punishment to the retired police officer Rao Anwar, a truth and reconciliation commission on extrajudicial killings in the country,[2] presenting missing persons before courts,[3] and removal of landmines from the Pashtun tribal areas.[4] The movement is led by Manzoor Pashteen, a human rights activist from South Waziristan.[5][6] Other prominent activists in it include Ali Wazir, Mohsin Dawar,[7] Mir Kalam, Alamzaib Mahsud, Abdullah Nangyal, Fazal Khan, Gulalai Ismail, Sanna Ejaz, Wranga Loni,[8] and the late Arman Loni, Arif Wazir, Usman Kakar, Noor Islam Dawar, and Gilaman Wazir. PTM claims to be an unarmed and peaceful resistance movement working within the lawful boundaries of the Constitution of Pakistan.[9] The Pakistan Army and several journalists have claimed that the movement is trying to create discord in the country along ethnic lines, as well as following a foreign agenda.[10] The movement has seen strong support from neighboring Afghanistan, which traditionally has an uneasy relationship with the government of Pakistan.[11][12][13]

Ahead of the PTM-planned Khyber Jirga in October 2024, the Pakistani government banned the PTM on the grounds that its activities threatened the country's peace and security. The decision drew criticism from human rights organizations including Amnesty International and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, which called for the ban's reversal, citing PTM’s history of peaceful advocacy within constitutional limits.[14][15]

  1. ^ a b "Anatomy of a political moment". Himal Southasian. 15 June 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  2. ^ a b PTM seeks formation of commission on extrajudicial killings. Dawn. 23 April 2018.
  3. ^ a b Produce missing persons in courts, says PTM. Dawn. 30 April 2018.
  4. ^ a b Pakistan's Manzoor Pashteen: 'Pashtuns are fed up with war', dw.com, 2018-04-11.
  5. ^ "Manzoor Pashteen: The voice of Pashtuns for many in Pakistan". www.aljazeera.com. 17 March 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  6. ^ "د پښتنو د پاڅون مشر منظور پښتون څوک دی؟". VOA Deewa (in Pashto). 13 February 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  7. ^ "Two PTM leaders make it to NA". The News International. 29 July 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  8. ^ "Why female Pashtun activists matter for PTM". Asia Times. 24 January 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "Angry, Bitter, and Ignored in Afghanistan". Daily Pakistan. 8 February 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  11. ^ "Afghan Leader Roils Pakistan With Pashtun Comments". Voice of America. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  12. ^ "Federal government imposes ban on Pashtun Tahafuz Movement". The Express Tribune.
  13. ^ "Govt imposes ban on Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement". Dawn.
  14. ^ "Pakistan bans prominent Pashtun rights group citing security concerns". Al Jazeera. 7 October 2024.
  15. ^ "Pakistan: Authorities must immediately revoke ban on Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement". Amnesty International. 8 October 2024.