PESHAWAR: After months of political wrangling, a group with the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) has decided to form a political party that will register itself with the Election Commission of Pakistan and take part in parliamentary politics, high-profile members of the group said this week, though the leader of the movement dismissed the reports as social media rumors.
PTM has campaigned for the rights of Pakistan’s ethnic Pashtuns and against what it says are military excesses committed during anti-terrorism operations in the country’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where most Pashtuns live. The military has vociferously denied the accusations.
“It’s true that like minded people who firmly support the movement want to practice parliamentary politics and register a political party for that purpose,” Abdullah Nangyal, a senior PTM leader said. “The new party will not use the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement’s name for registration.”
He added that leaders in favor of launching the political party were “finalizing its modalities.”
The PTM emerged in 2018 after a 27-year-old aspiring model, Naqeebullah Mehsud, was killed in a staged police operation in Karachi.
Mehsud originally belonged to the country’s northwestern tribal territories, and his death ignited nationwide protests that led to the rise of the PTM.
Asked about the development, PTM’s most prominent leader, Manzoor Pashteen, told Arab News “such rumors were only circulating on social media.”
“The PTM is a political resistance movement which is not into parliamentary politics,” he said. “We are a movement and will continue to be a movement.”
Another senior PTM leader said on condition of anonymity it was premature to disclose details relating to the new party, though he confirmed that the issue had been under discussion for several months.
“We can’t give a timeframe regarding the launch of the new party,” he continued, “but talks are underway in this connection.”
Last week, media reports claimed senior politicians Afrasiab Khattak, Bushra Gohar, Jamila Gilani and president of the Supreme Court Bar Association Latif Afridi had met PTM leader Mohsin Dawar to mobilize likeminded individuals to form a new political party.
Discussing the development, Khattak told Arab News he was a staunch PTM supporter, though he added it was up to the movement if it wanted to enter mainstream politics.
“I’m a politician and will continue to practice politics in the future,” he said. “However, the decision to register a new political party solely rests with the PTM leadership.”
Background interviews suggest PTM leaders are sharply divided over the issue, though Nangyal maintained that those who wanted to join the new political faction would also continue to support the movement.
Muhammad Daud Khan, a senior Peshawar-based analyst, said the debate over PTM’s future could further deepen the rift within the movement, adding that PTM leaders must seriously consider the option of entering mainstream politics.
“If the group wants sustainability in the longer run, it should enter parliamentary politics since it already has significant support in places like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan,” Khan said. “Going by our national history, resistance movements don’t last for long in Pakistan.”
Pashtun Tahafuz Movement leader denies reports group wants to form political party
https://arab.news/9syj3
Pashtun Tahafuz Movement leader denies reports group wants to form political party
- Top PTM leader Manzoor Pashteen dismisses social media rumors, says movement will continue to be a political resistance
- Some PTM members confirm Mohsin Dawar and others within the social movement want to form a political party to take part in parliamentary politics
Ramadan tests Pakistan’s daily wage workers but faith endures
- Reduced work hours during fasting month cut already fragile incomes
- Charities, local businesses step in as laborers try to support families back home
ISLAMABAD: Abdul Waqif grips a worn-out shovel and digs into the earth beneath the harsh midday sun, his body bent with age but still moving steadily. Moments later, the 70-year-old hoists a heavy bag of cement onto his shoulders and carries it toward an under-construction house, all while fasting.
For Waqif and thousands of daily wage laborers across Pakistan, Ramadan is not just a month of spiritual devotion. It is also a month of shrinking incomes.
Waqif migrated from Mohmand tribal district in northwestern Pakistan to Islamabad two decades ago in search of work. Like many laborers from rural and former tribal areas, he left behind limited local opportunities to earn a living in larger cities such as Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.
In Pakistan, daily wage workers, particularly in construction and manual labor, are among the most economically vulnerable. They are paid only for days worked, receive no job security or benefits, and often rely on informal arrangements. Any slowdown in economic activity directly affects their ability to feed their families.
Economic activity typically slows during Ramadan, when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. Employers often reduce work hours or postpone physically demanding projects to ease the burden on fasting workers. While intended as a gesture of consideration, it means fewer working hours and fewer earnings.
For laborers such as Waqif, who earns between Rs1,000-1,200 [$3.59-4.31] per day, even a slight reduction in work can be devastating.
His suhoor, the pre-dawn meal before fasting begins, usually consists of a few chapatis from a nearby hotel. The hunger and thirst that follow him through the day are constant companions as he lifts bricks and mixes cement in the heat.
But so is his faith.
“Allah gives me courage. I am hungry and thirsty, but I keep working,” Waqif said while wiping the sweat off his brow.
Back in Mohmand district, his wife, four daughters and two sons depend on the money he sends home. Every rupee matters.
“I support them with this work,” Waqif said. “I eat three meals a day here and I also have to save money for my children and send it to them.”
The reduction in work during Ramadan weighs heavily on him.
“I don’t find much work in Ramadan, and I’m worried for my family,” Waqif said.
‘HONEST LIVING’
Finding food for suhoor is sometimes a challenge. On some mornings, someone offers him a piece of flatbread. Other times, he buys what little he can afford from a nearby eatery.
Muhammad Sajid, owner of Al-Hadi restaurant in Islamabad’s G-15 sector, says he tries to ease that burden by offering meals to laborers at half price.
“We don’t let anyone go hungry,” Sajid told Arab News. “We offer sehri and iftar as much as anyone can afford.”
The restaurant serves tea, yogurt, several types of curries and parathas.
Charity groups also expand operations during Ramadan, when community support traditionally increases. The Junaid Welfare Foundation runs a roadside dastarkhwan, or communal meal spread, serving hundreds daily.
Haq Rawan Shareefi, a manager at the foundation, said around 500 people are provided iftar meals each day. The cost of one person’s iftar is Rs200 [$0.72].
“That means, on iftar and sehri, our expenses range from Rs150,000 [$538.97] to Rs200,000 [$718.63],” Shareefi said.
For Waqif, breaking his fast at sunset brings temporary relief from the physical strain of the day. But the financial uncertainty remains.
“I ask Allah for this,” he said. “May Allah give me strength to earn honest living for my children.”
