ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar announced on Tuesday that the government’s decision to ban the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) stemmed from its alleged links to militant groups and involvement in anti-state activities.
PTM, a prominent Pashtun rights group, has long advocated against extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances of Pashtuns and other ethnic minorities in Pakistan. While its leaders have contested and won national elections in the country’s northwestern region, the movement has yet to gain significant influence in Pakistan’s parliament.
On Sunday, Pakistan’s Interior Ministry declared the PTM a “proscribed organization,” citing activities harmful to the nation’s peace and security.
“If you look at the activities of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement over the past six months, [you will see] how they have burned the Pakistani flag, attacked Pakistan’s embassies abroad and not only attacked embassies but also actively funded the promotion of an anti-Pakistan narrative,” Tarar said in a televised statement.
He said the PTM had carried out such activities with the help of Afghan nationals.
“Not only do they have links with TTA or Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan but also Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan,” he continued while referring to the Taliban administration in Kabul and a banned militant network reportedly operating from Afghanistan while targeting Pakistani civilians and security forces.
Earlier this year in July, a group of Afghan nationals stormed the Pakistani consulate in Frankfurt, Germany, pelting stones at the building and desecrating the Pakistani flag.
The administration in Islamabad formally lodged a protest with the German authorities, urging them to arrest and prosecute those responsible and to ensure better security for its diplomatic missions.
PTM has previously denied any links with militant groups or violent entities, pointing out that it believes in waging peaceful struggle for the rights of Pashtuns in Pakistan.
“Whenever an organization is declared proscribed,” the minister added, “it is done on the basis of evidence.”
The PTM alleges Pashtuns have faced rights abuses during Pakistan’s war against militants, mainly in its northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. It blames Pakistan’s powerful military for rights abuses in the northwestern province, a charge the institution has consistently denied.
Government justifies ban on Pashtun rights group, cites alleged militant links, anti-state activities
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Government justifies ban on Pashtun rights group, cites alleged militant links, anti-state activities
- Pakistan’s Interior Ministry recently declared the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement a ‘proscribed organization’
- Information minister says PTM ‘burned the Pakistani flag, attacked Pakistani embassies’ in other states
After mosque bombing, Islamabad intensifies patrols, surveillance during Ramadan prayers, iftar
- Police chief orders enhanced screening at capital city’s entry and exit points after Feb. 6 blast
- Safe City cameras to monitor Islamabad round the clock as special pre-iftar traffic plan enforced
ISLAMABAD: Police in the federal capital have been instructed to step up patrols, surveillance and checkpoint inspections during Ramadan prayers and iftar hours, an official statement said on Wednesday, as the city’s police chief chaired a security meeting following a deadly mosque bombing earlier this month.
Inspector General of Police Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi directed senior officers to ensure “foolproof security” across the city, with special focus on mosques during peak congregational times.
The meeting comes after a suicide bombing at a mosque on the outskirts of Islamabad on Feb. 6 that killed at least 32 people. The blast targeted the Qasr-e-Khadijatul Kubra mosque and imambargah during Friday prayers and was claimed by Daesh that said one of its militants detonated an explosive vest inside the congregation.
“All officers must ensure their presence in the field and properly brief personnel about their duties,” Rizvi said, according to a statement issued by the police.
“Strict security arrangements should be ensured at mosques, imambargahs and Ramadan bazaars,” he continued. “Special patrols should be conducted during Fajr, iftar and Taraweeh hours.”
The police chief said Safe City cameras would be used for round-the-clock effective monitoring across the capital.
In addition to security measures, he reviewed traffic arrangements and directed strict implementation of a special traffic plan during pre-iftar rush hours, calling for additional deployment on major roads and at commercial centers.
Islamabad, which has generally seen fewer large-scale militant attacks than some other parts of Pakistan, has faced sporadic security incidents in the past, prompting authorities to tighten monitoring during religious gatherings and other high-risk events.
