The PTM and political fallout of the North Waziristan clash
The killing of eight protesters by Pakistani security forces in Pakistan’s northwestern region of North Waziristan this week and the arrest of two lawmakers there under anti-terrorism laws heightened tensions in an already agitated area. Supporters of an ethnic Pashtun rights group known as the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) tried to break through a security checkpoint.
The public indictment of political leaders, some of whom are elected members of parliament, without substantive evidence, drew angry reactions from political parties and rights groups, and reinforced an increasing perception about the state’s growing militarization. The incident has drawn Pakistan’s powerful military into direct confrontation with nonviolent rights movements.
It was only last year that the PTM emerged as one of the most powerful grass roots movements in the country’s history, following a protest against the killing of a young Pashtun man, Naqeebullah Mehsud in a staged police encounter in Karachi. Simmering emotions came to the surface and the incident exposed the plight of a community long caught in the middle of a war between militants and the security establishment.
The major cause of mass discontent has been the apathy of the state towards hundreds of thousands who are uprooted from their homes following the army offensives against the Taliban in North and South Waziristan that began in 2009. Those who returned to their homes after the offensives ended found their villages devastated by bombs. Indeed, some reconstruction work has been done but it will take years to completely rehabilitate these areas. And so the causes of the discontent run deep.
Tensions have been mounting in the area as attacks on security forces have intensified. Earlier this month, one soldier was killed in an ambush but no group claimed the attack. In retaliation, the military reportedly raided villages and rounded up people which triggered angry protests by locals because the PTM has a strong support base in the area.
Monday’s clash was an incident waiting to happen as the conflict between the PTM and security forces intensified. Last month during a press conference, chief military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor sent out a hard warning to the PTM against crossing what he called “red lines.” This week, it seems such a line was crossed, as far as the army was concerned.
Whatever triggered the shootout, the violence has put the military at the center of a new political controversy.
Zahid Hussain
“Their time is up,” General Ghafoor had declared during the same press conference.
It was a clear message that the patience of the military brass for the movement’s growing support and anti-military stance was running thin.
While the military claims troops acted in self-defense during the incident, the PTM said their demonstrators were unarmed and peaceful. Video footage on social media did not show any of the protesters carrying firearms. One official report said a soldier was killed and several others injured, but there is no independent corroboration of any of the versions and an unannounced media blackout has added to the confusion.
Whatever triggered the shootout, the violence has put the military at the center of a new political controversy. Protests broke out all around Pashtun dominated areas. Opposition parties and rights groups have demanded an independent inquiry into the violence — the worst since the merger of Pakistan’s tribal areas into the mainland last year. North Waziristan is the largest and most volatile of the seven formal tribal agencies now annexed with Khyber Pakhtunkhawa province.
Predictably, the PTM has now turned into a tide, with people ranging from educated urban youth to tribesmen and disenchanted political activists rallying around it. Essentially, it is a rights and democratic movement, but it has already made a significant impact on the course of politics in the country. Instead of addressing underlying problems, there is an attempt to stifle voices.
The use of force during last Monday’s incident at the North Waziristan check-post has further aggravated a sensitive situation. Surely, there has been provocation from some elements within the movement, but generally the PTM’s supporters have remained peaceful. The use of force now will only breed violence, with outside powers happy to fish in our troubled waters.
