The Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) was founded in 2014 and advocates for the rights of
Pakistan’s ethnic Pashtuns. Pakistan’s counterinsurgency against the Pakistani Taliban, Tehrik-iTaliban Pakistan (TTP), and other militant groups in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has allegedly
led to widespread oppression of Pashtuns. This week, following recent mobilisations, the PTM
planned a three-day national gathering in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to oppose military abuses against
Pashtuns and recent declining security amidst a marked increase in militant attacks in the past few
months.
The PTM have been proscribed by Pakistan’s Interior Ministry under the Anti-Terrorism Act, which
freezes the organisation’s assets, closes offices, prohibits publishing literature and enables the
seizure of published material. PTM’s leader, Manzoor Pashteen, has gone into hiding, and hundreds
of PTM members have been arrested. A PTM spokesperson has stated that the group still intends to
undertake the three-day national gathering, despite efforts by security forces to violently prevent it.
The PTM likely operated as a political outlet for local Pashtun grievances, and it is likely that the
group’s proscription will drive PTM members and supporters into more radical and violent actions.