Why PTM came into being ? Factors leadings to the formation of PTM
Outline /Sketch :
Why PTM came into being ?
•Introduction
•background
•History of Fata
•Factors leading to the formation of pashtun tahafuz movement .
•Pakistan strategic depth policy
•Problems faced by pashtuns in fata
•Political vacuum
•Injustices and atrocities
•Suppression policy
•negative role of civil bureaucracy
•Terrorism ( state sponsored terrorism )
a) human and economic loss
Thousands of tribal elders and pashtun lost thier life in target killing , bombing , suicide attacks ,
•Extortion
•Kidnapping
•Psychological effects on men, women and children
•Loss to pashtun culture , traditions and code of life
•Effects on education
•Closing of girls schools
•Occupation on public and private properties
b) fear among local public
2.war against terrorism
•Missing persons
•Extra judicially killing
•Occupation on people's houses and educational institutions
•Various operations by Pakistan military in tribal arees
Rah e rast
Rah e nejat
Zarb e azab
Bia daralam
Economic loss of pashtun
Destruction of houses , markets , mosques ,hujras , schools and businesses
Use of fighters Jet and Gunships helic against tribesmen
Check posts
Landmines
Pashtun Profiling
War crimes by military officers
Lack of freedom of expression and freedom of association due to FCR
Impacts of the above causes
Frustration
Written by;
Syed Anwar Dawar
………………………………………………..
PTM and Causes of its formation
Introduction;
PTM stands for "Pashtun Tahafuz Movement which means a movement for the protection of pakhtuns . It works for human rights of oppressed pashtun community across the country. First it was formed in 2014 by few students of Gomal university D.I.Khan as a Mehsud Tahafuz Movement as the tribe Mehsud differed a lot during the war against terrorism and aftermath . In 2018 , when Naqibullah Mehsud was Extra judicially killed in a fake encounter by the notorious police officer Rao Anwar in karachi , the 22 members of MTM started a long march towards islambad through kohat , bannu peshawar,and charsada . On the way many pashtuns joined the march and hold a Sit-in in front of islambad press club . From this point onward the name changed from MTM into PTM because it was no more limited to a single tribe . Rather it was a movement of all pashtun across the globe.
Historical background of ex Fata;
Before colonial era , Fata was a part of Afghanistan. When a treaty was signed by the Afghanistan king Amir Abdu Rehman and British India , the fata fell down in the hands of British empire and they govern it through Frontier crimes regulations ( FCR ) which is a Draconian black law . Though the British introduce democracy in thier mother land England but they govern the subcontinent including fata in authoritative , coarcive way and through divide and rule policy . In 1947 , Pakistan applied and continued with the same black law of FCR of the British master and didn't extend the Pakistan constitution for almost 70 years . The local people were suppressed by collective punishment and coarcive measures . The common people were never politicaly empowered and they were deprived of thier fundamental human rights such as freedom of expression and freedom of association . During General zia period the area was used in a proxy war for US against Soviet Union in Afghanistan .war lords , jihadists , extremists and terrorists were were promoted , sponsored and financed by the state and its intelligence agencies . As a result Fata turns into battle field and breeding ground for militancy and terrorism . After Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan , Pakistan launched Taliban movement in Afghanistan andin 1996 Pakistan isi succeeded in installing Taliban govt in kabul . The Taliban led govt in Afghanistan inspired the extremists mulla of Fata a lot . However after 9/11 , US attacked on Afghanistan and Pakistan brought all the Taliban into Fata .
Factors leading to the formation of pashtun tahafuz movement ( PTM) ;
There r number of factors which leads to the formation of pashtun tahafuz movement PTM .
Pakistan security forces were silent spectators over all these suppressions of the local population at the hands of Taliban . People were highly fade up from Taliban atrocities and were looking towards the government and security forces to get them free from these terrorists . When the Pakistan army announced operations against Taliban , the local population welcomed it whole heartedly but they were not aware that these operations are not against Taliban rather it is against them . Million of people were made internally displaced ( idps ) . The security forces destroyed thier villages , homes , markets , shops , mosques and businesses but the Taliban were given safe escape from one place to another . A single Taliban commander was not killed during all these operations in different parts of ex fata . When the idps returned to thier homes they found that the area was not cleared from Taliban as they were still present there in one form or the other but thier homes and properties were destroyed .
Another important reason of formation of PTM was pashtun Profiling every where in Pakistan by the state institutions . Pakistan security forces and ISPR in its production houses , tv channels , dramas , movies and press conferences targeted pashtun culture as terrorists . Pashtuns were targeted every where in the country .
1. State Sponsored terrorism in Ex fata and parts of Khyber pakhtunkhwa :
From its very inception, Pakistan have been trying to either distabalise the Afghanistan or interfere inside Afghanistan for having pro Pakistani government . According to Pakistan strategic depth policy, it considers Afghanistan as a 5th province . For this very purpose Pakistan created Taliban across the both sides of the durand line who turned violent and destroyed almost the whole ex fata , Parts of Kp such as swat , boner , and Afghanistan . These Taliban were brought by Pakistani intelligence agencies and security forces from every where and were provided with finance , training , and weapons and ammunition of all kinds . These state Sponsored terrorists slaughtered thousands of tribesmen women and children and captured schools , houses and othe public and private buildings . They occupied the whole fata and destroyed it to the worst of its form . Peaceful fata was converted into a worst form of war , bombing, target killing , kidnapping and torturing . Doctors , lawyers , business community and common men and women were not safe . Taliban had a parallel illegal and illegitimate courts , prisons , torture cells where they put the local people severely punished, imprisoned , tortured and even slaughtered for one reason or another . They had imposed extortion on local people and used to kidnap people for ransome . In short ex fata was turned into a hell for the local population for almost one decade .
Military operations
Pakistan security forces were silent spectators over all these suppressions of the local population at the hands of Taliban . People were highly fade up from Taliban atrocities and were looking towards the government and security forces to get them free from these terrorists . When the Pakistan army announced operations against Taliban , the local population welcomed it whole heartedly but they were not aware that these operations are not against Taliban rather it is against them . Million of people were made internally displaced ( idps ) . The security forces destroyed thier villages , homes , markets , shops , mosques and businesses but the Taliban were given safe escape from one place to another . A single Taliban commander was not killed during all these operations in different parts of ex fata . When the idps returned to thier homes they found that the area was not cleared from Taliban as they were still present there in one form or the other but thier homes and properties were destroyed .
Pashtun Profiling
Political vacuum;
As we all know that tribal elders and political leaders of progressive nationalist parties were targeted and killed during Taliban era in fata . Although political parties were allowed in fata after an act of political parties was extended but practically there was no political leader to take bold steps for solutions of the problems faced by the people of ex Fata because the traditional leadership of fata was either killed or made silent . Therefore there was a political vacuum which needed to be filled and PTM was the need of the hour .
Frustration among the people ;
People of ex Fata were passing through very miserable conditions . They had no facilities of life and were physically and psychologically damaged .People of the area were suffering from various problems and challenges faced by them for the last two decades . There was no ray of hope in thier life . They suffered a lot from terrorism and war against terrorism . They were deprived of thier basic rights . The area remained backward socially, economically and politically . People from all walks of life were highly frustrated and they were waiting for some one to come and rescue them and pull them out of the miserable conditions . When PTM came into being , people accept it as a hot cack from the owan . Manzoor Pashteen proved to be saviour of the lost degnity of pashtun in the region . PTM provided a platform to the
people to speak for thier rights and demands .
Check posts and curfew
The Pakistan army had made hundred check posts in tribal area . After every 2 to 3 km there was a check post and people used to pass dozen of these check posts on daily basis which had turned thier life very difficult . Curfew were also regularly imposed which had hindered free movement of the local population . Besides , the attitude of the security personnel on check post was very harsh . They used to misbehave and humiliate respected people on daily basis . I have personally observed that number of people were short and tortured due to minor mistakes on check posts . On the side terrorists were seen to pass these check posts with high protocol while our doctors , professors and students were beaten and slap . On some check posts people used to wait for hours . Even patients deadand bodies were not given relief on these check posts . People were feeling like slaves in thier own land . All these factors led to the formation of pashtun tahafuz movement and people raised the slogans " check post par gali namanzoor ".
Extra judicial killing ;
Pakistan security forces and police used to kill number of pashtun youth extra judicially on the allegations of terrorism . Some reports say that even after killing the person , the families were compelled to pay for the dead bodies of thier near and dears . This brutality was continued for for a decade . At that time many people believed that those who were exta judicially killed will be terrorists or they would have been killed in police encounters but when a modern pashtun model aspirant Naqibullah Mehsud was killed by notorious SSP Rao Anwar in karachi then the opposite wind begin to blow and thus his murder was a turning point in the formation of PTM .
Pashtun Missing persons
Thousands of pashtun were made missing by Pakistan security forces on the fake charges of terrorism and anti state activities for many years without providing them right of free and fair trial . They were kept in underground interment centers and other torture cells inside military forts and other area under the control of Pakistan intelligence agencies and army . Many of these missing persons were tortured to death in those tortured cells . Old parents , wives and children were wondering here and there in search of thier sons , husbands and fathers. Many parents died after thier missing sons .
There was no platform in fata to raise voice for these missing persons of pashtun . Thus PTM bacame the voice for these voiceless .
Landmines ;
The Pakistan army had fixed number of landmines in ex fata particularly in wazirstan where hundred of innocent civilians , men , women and children lost thier lives and injured severely . There r many villages and fields where landmines were spreaded . People lost legs , arms , eyes and other organs in landmines blast on regular basis . People of the area demanded the government to clear the area from these mines but the govt was silent and the forces badly failed in cleaning the mines . This was a very serious issue which was never resolved and PTM included it in its demands .
Occupation on land , buildings, minerals and other resources of pashtun by Pakistan security forces;
The army had occupied thousands of hacter land for cantonment , fort and housing societies in pashtun land . Pakistan army has also occupied by force public and private buildings , mineral spots and other resources belongs to the local population. There r many houses belongs to local people where the security forces used to live . Similarly there r number of schools, colleges and basic health units who r forcefully occupied by army and public r not allowed to enter thier own properties . FWO and NLC of Pakistan army has shas hold number of mines and minerals in ex fata . On the other hand the local population is suffering from unemployment, poverty and lack of facilities . Hence this was an important reason which made the people compelled to think and raise voice against the economic exploitation at the hands of security forces .
Conclusion
In the light of the above factors , it is quite crystal clear that PTM is an indigenous natural movement having very deep roots in common people owned by the whole pashtun nation through out the world . PTM is the voice of voiceless, widows , orphans , victims of landmines, missing persons and all and sundry . PTM is the only representative organisation / movement of all pashtun across the world . No other nationalist party has such a mandate which PTM have . PTM is the last hope for the lar w bar afghans . It is a ray of hope for all the oppressed communities of Pakistan . PTM has grown a lot in a very short span of time . This is a long term movement which is leading towards its goals gradually . I assure you that PTM will bring peace , progress, prosperity , autonomy to the pashtun land .
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