PESHAWAR: Manzoor Pashteen, the leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), was released from prison on Tuesday, after a sessions court in Dera Ismail Khan granted him bail in the fifth and last case against him, his lawyer confirmed to Arab News.
“After spending nearly a month in Central Jail, Dera Ismail Khan, Pashteen has won the legal battle and come out of prison. He was granted bail in all five cases after we submitted three different surety bonds of up to Rs300,000 in court,” said the lawyer, Saeed Akhtar, also a PTM leader.
Pashteen was arrested in Peshawar on Jan. 27 on a number of charges, ranging hate speech to criminal conspiracy and sedition.
Jubilant Pashteen delivered a brief speech to PTM supporters who came to welcome him upon his release.
“We fought a legal battle within the constitutional framework for the release of our leader,” said Abdullah Nangyal, a PTM activist. “We have won today.”
Parliamentarian and PTM member Ali Wazir told Arab News he was certain that Pashteen would soon come out of prison.
“The cases lodged against Pashteen were concocted and groundless. Today is our victory and the victory of law and justice. Our struggle for the supremacy of law will continue,” he said.
PTM campaigns against alleged extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances of Pashtuns and members of other ethnic minorities.
It emerged in 2018, after the killing of an ethnic Pashtun man by police in the port city of Karachi. The killing led to nationwide protests and turned the issue of alleged state violence against Pashtuns into a national debate.
The Pakistani military accuses the PTM of being funded by foreign states, such as India and Afghanistan. The PTM denies any foreign links.
Many PTM supporters are ethnic Pashtuns who hail originally from areas bordering Afghanistan, which used to be the center point of a long insurgency by Taliban and other militants and subsequent operations by the Pakistani military.
Millions of people from the region have been displaced due to the operations.
PTM leader Manzoor Pashteen released from prison
https://arab.news/wuzyr
PTM leader Manzoor Pashteen released from prison
- Pashteen was arrested in January on charges ranging from hate speech to sedition
- PTM parliamentarian Ali Wazir says his colleague was imprisoned on false charges
Pakistan U19 to open tri-series against Afghanistan on Saturday in Zimbabwe
- Pakistan enter the tournament as U19 Asia Cup champions after beating India by 191 runs in Dubai
- The tri-series is seen as key preparation for next month’s U19 World Cup in Zimbabwe and Namibia
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s under-19 cricket team will begin their tri-series campaign against Afghanistan on Saturday in Harare, using the tournament as a key preparation for next month’s ICC Men’s U19 World Cup co-hosted by Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Pakistan, the reigning ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup champions, are competing in the 50-over tri-series alongside Afghanistan and hosts Zimbabwe, with each team playing the others twice before the top two advance to the final on Jan. 6.
Pakistan won the eight-team Asia Cup in Dubai earlier this month, beating India by 191 runs in the final, and will play a minimum of four matches in the tri-series, starting at Harare Sports Club on Saturday.
“The Asia Cup was a good win for us and the players showed great morale and intensity,” Pakistan captain Farhan Yousaf said, according to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). “The tri-series is very important for the players and will help us find the right combinations ahead of the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup.”
Pakistan will face Zimbabwe on Dec. 29 before meeting Afghanistan again on Jan. 2, followed by a second match against the hosts on Jan. 4. Matches will be played across venues in Harare, including Harare Sports Club, Prince Edward School and Sunrise Sports Club.
The tri-series is being seen as an important warm-up ahead of the U19 World Cup, which will be held from Jan. 15 to Feb. 6. Pakistan are placed in Group C and will play all their group-stage matches in Harare.
“The conditions here are similar and will be beneficial for our World Cup preparations,” Yousaf said. “Both teams in the tournament are strong and competitive and we respect every opposition as we look forward to a competitive event.”
Pakistan will open their World Cup campaign against England on Jan. 16, followed by matches against Scotland and Zimbabwe, with the Super Six stage beginning on Jan. 25 and the final scheduled for Feb. 6 at Harare Sports Club.
