The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement: Forced Disappearances, Military Courts Violation of Fair Trials and War Crimes in Waziristan

The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement is the only well-branded together movement that created awareness within the Pashtun communities about the atrocities and war crimes of the Pakistan army in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Waziristan. However, it started long marches, and rallies to divert the attention of the international community towards the forced disappearances of its workers and leaders by the agencies. Frequently, they used social media as a bridge of communication. Originally, its demands included the release of missing persons and an end to extra-judicial killings of Pashtuns, stopping humiliation of passengers at security checkpoints, and removal of landmines in FATA. On 13 January 2018, Naqeebullah Mehsud was killed in a fake police encounter in Karachi. The PTM is the latest manifestation of decades of Pashtun protest against state brutalities. Its origin can be traced back to 2014 when student leaders of Gomal University in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province were propelled into activism to protect the rights of Pashtuns. The PTM is a nonviolent movement led by Manzoor Pashteen against the alleged enforced disappearances, extra-judicial killings, as well as the mistreatment of the Pakhtun community by security forces. The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) was established in Pakistan to advocate the rights and protection of the Pashtun people, particularly in the context of their treatment by the Pakistani state and military. The movement emerged in response to a long history of violence, discrimination, and human rights abuses experienced by Pashtuns, especially in the aftermath of the War on Terror and the military operations conducted in Pakistan's tribal areas. It's important to note that the Pakistani government and military often justify their actions in Waziristan as necessary for national security and combating terrorism. However, the situation remains deeply controversial, with ongoing debates about the balance between security measures and the rights of the local population.

Musa Khan Jalalzai is a journalist and research scholar. He has written extensively on Afghanistan, terrorism, nuclear and biological terrorism, human trafficking, drug trafficking, and intelligence research and analysis. He was an Executive Editor of the Daily Outlook Afghanistan from 2005-2011, and a permanent contributor in Pakistan's daily The Post, Daily Times, and The Nation, Weekly the Nation, (London). However, in 2004, US Library of Congress in its report for South Asia mentioned him as the biggest and prolific writer. He received Masters in English literature, Diploma in Geospatial Intelligence, University of Maryland, Washington DC, certificate in Surveillance Law from the University of Stanford, USA, and diploma in Counterterrorism from Pennsylvania State University, California, the United States.

Mr. Imal Katswal graduated from the Faculty of Law and Political Science, Kabul University, 1995. He has been living in Europe since 2004. From 2009 to 2014, he worked as an official translator in the Office of the Commissioner for Refugees in Belgium. Imal Katswal, is an active member of PTM in Douai, France, who contributed his professional experience, intellectual tips-off and ideas to make PTM members vigilant and updated. He worked and supported Pashtuns rights movements in Belgium from 2009-2013 before shifting to France. However, he participated in PTM protests and rallies in Europe to draw the attention of international community towards the forced disappearances and torture of its workers and leaders by the agencies. Currently, he lives in France.