LAHORE: Leaders of Pakistan’s Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) vowed to defy a ban and go ahead with a mass protest in the eastern city of Lahore Sunday, just hours after officials cracked down on the group.
Since launching three months ago, the PTM has rattled the powerful military with a nationwide campaign calling for an end to extrajudicial killings, “disappearances” and other abuses by police and troops.
Despite a far-reaching media blackout the movement has drawn tens of thousands of supporters to their protests in one of the strongest challenges to Pakistan’s security establishment for years.
Late Saturday officials in Lahore detained PTM leaders along with representatives of the Awami Workers Party and student activists following raids on Punjab University and a hotel.
A local police official confirmed the incident but said the activists have since been released.
The crackdown sparked anger on social media with the hashtags #ReleasePTMWorkers and #ShameOnPunjabPolice gaining traction.
PTM supporters from across the country have flocked to Lahore in recent days before the anticipated rally.
The movement’s leader Manzoor Pastheen vowed to continue with the demonstration even after authorities refused to provide the necessary documentation, citing “security circumstances.”
“We won’t stay silent. We will hold the rally at any cost,” said Pastheen in a message posted early Sunday.
The PTM came to prominence in February after the killing of a young social media star in Karachi unleashed festering anger at authorities over the alleged targeting of Pashtuns in the country’s long war on militancy.
The military has accused the PTM of colluding with arch-rival India and overseeing a campaign to destabilize the country.
Criticism of Pakistan’s powerful armed forces, especially their counter-insurgency operations, is largely seen as a step too far.
However, the PTM argues that Pashtuns have bore the brunt of the long fight against terrorism.
The “Pashtun belt” in the northwest bordering Afghanistan has suffered severely from militant violence for over a decade as the Afghan war split over the border, leading to repeated military operations in the region.
Pashtuns account for roughly 15 percent of the population, with a majority of the 30 million-strong group living in the northwest.
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Pakistan Pashtun activists vow to hold banned Lahore rally
Pakistan Pashtun activists vow to hold banned Lahore rally
- The PTM came to prominence in February after the killing of a young social media star in Karachi unleashed festering anger at authorities over the alleged targeting of Pashtuns
- The military has accused the PTM of colluding with arch-rival India and overseeing a campaign to destabilize the country
Animal trafficking reaches record high in 2025: Interpol
LYON: Demand for exotic pets drove seizures of live animals to a record high in 2025, the Interpol police agency said Thursday as it announced a clampdown that led to the interception of nearly 30,000 animals.
Interpol said that wildlife crime is now an industry worth more than $20 billion a year, ranging from the movement of thousands of shark fins to banned ivory and primate meat.
In a month-long operation from September 15, law enforcement in 134 countries seized 6,160 birds, 2,040 tortoises, 1,150 reptiles, 208 primates, 46 pangolins, 10 “big cats” and 19,415 other wild animals, Interpol said in a statement. Some 1,100 suspects were detained.
It said that in Qatar, authorities detained a man seeking to sell a primate threatened with extinction for $14,000 on a social media platform. In Brazil, police identified 145 suspects as they rescued more than 200 animals, including in a crackdown on an international golden lion tamarin trafficking ring.
“A shipment from Asia intercepted at a North American mail center contained over 1,300 primate body parts including bones skulls and other derivatives,” the statement said.
Nearly 10,500 butterflies, spiders and insects were also caught in Operation Thunder 2025, highlighting the variety of species being targeted, according to Interpol.
“While live animal seizures reached a record high this year — driven largely by demand for exotic pets — most wildlife trafficking involved animal remains, parts and derivatives, often used in traditional medicine or specialty foods,” the Lyon-based agency said.
“Estimates put the annual value of wildlife crime at $20 billion, but the clandestine nature of the trade suggests that the real figure is likely much higher.”
Interpol said there was “an escalating illicit trade” in bushmeat, the term used for wild animal meat.
It said Belgian authorities intercepted “primate meat,” Kenyan officials seized over 400 kilogrammes (880 pounds) of giraffe meat and Tanzanian law enforcement recovered zebra and antelope meat and skins valued at $10,000.
“Globally, a record 5.8 tons of bushmeat was seized, with a notable increase in cases from Africa into Europe.”
The clampdown also resulted in the seizure of some 32,000 cubic meters of illegally cut wood. Interpol said that illegal forestry accounts for between 15 and 30 percent of global wood trade.
Interpol said that wildlife crime is now an industry worth more than $20 billion a year, ranging from the movement of thousands of shark fins to banned ivory and primate meat.
In a month-long operation from September 15, law enforcement in 134 countries seized 6,160 birds, 2,040 tortoises, 1,150 reptiles, 208 primates, 46 pangolins, 10 “big cats” and 19,415 other wild animals, Interpol said in a statement. Some 1,100 suspects were detained.
It said that in Qatar, authorities detained a man seeking to sell a primate threatened with extinction for $14,000 on a social media platform. In Brazil, police identified 145 suspects as they rescued more than 200 animals, including in a crackdown on an international golden lion tamarin trafficking ring.
“A shipment from Asia intercepted at a North American mail center contained over 1,300 primate body parts including bones skulls and other derivatives,” the statement said.
Nearly 10,500 butterflies, spiders and insects were also caught in Operation Thunder 2025, highlighting the variety of species being targeted, according to Interpol.
“While live animal seizures reached a record high this year — driven largely by demand for exotic pets — most wildlife trafficking involved animal remains, parts and derivatives, often used in traditional medicine or specialty foods,” the Lyon-based agency said.
“Estimates put the annual value of wildlife crime at $20 billion, but the clandestine nature of the trade suggests that the real figure is likely much higher.”
Interpol said there was “an escalating illicit trade” in bushmeat, the term used for wild animal meat.
It said Belgian authorities intercepted “primate meat,” Kenyan officials seized over 400 kilogrammes (880 pounds) of giraffe meat and Tanzanian law enforcement recovered zebra and antelope meat and skins valued at $10,000.
“Globally, a record 5.8 tons of bushmeat was seized, with a notable increase in cases from Africa into Europe.”
The clampdown also resulted in the seizure of some 32,000 cubic meters of illegally cut wood. Interpol said that illegal forestry accounts for between 15 and 30 percent of global wood trade.
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