REQUEST FOR THE RELEASE OF PTM LEADER MANZOOR AHMED PASHTEEN

Tuesday, 28 January 2020

H.E. Mme. Michelle Bachelet Jeria,

High Commissioner for Human Rights

United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland

SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR THE RELEASE OF PTM LEADER MANZOOR AHMED PASHTEEN

Your Excellency,

We, the representatives of Pashtun people and office bearers of Pashtun Protection Movement (PTM) in Europe, strongly condemn the illegal arrest of PTM Leader and well known Human Rights Activist Manzoor Ahmad Pashteen by a violent-joint operation of ISI and police of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on false charges of sedition. He and his colleagues were treated like terrorists. The military personnel in plain clothes along with police smashed the doors of the office of the PTM on January 27, 2020 at 02 O’clock in morning to arrest him like die-hard criminal or terrorist, while he can easily be arrested without such tactics of high-handedness and harassment of a person who was not in hiding.  The copy of First Information Report (FIR) is attached herewith.

We have already informed Your Excellency on May 02, 2019 about the open threats of former DG ISPR General Asif Ghafoor to PTM leaders particularly Manzoor Ahmed Pashteen, Ali Wazir and Mohsin Dawar in a press conference held on April 29, 2019 at Military GHQ Rawalpindi to national and international media. General Ghafoor accused the PTM of receiving foreign funding from countries like Afghanistan and India, without giving any proof/evidence what so ever.

At that press conference G. Ghafoor hurled the threat that your (PTM) time is up! In the after math of the press conference a crack-down on PTM workers and activists started with hundreds of them arbitrarily arrested and imprisoned on trumped-up charges including two Members of Parliament Ali Wazir and Mohsin Dawar. Dozens of PTM activists are being killed in target killings including massacre of Khar-Qamar North Waziristan on May 26, 2019 in which 16 Innocent activists were killed and more than 45 injured in straight firing by Pakistani Military.

Based on past record, We are sure that the all-powerful military in Pakistan which has imposed an un-declared Martial-law in the country with full control over all important institutions like Judiciary, executive and media; can harm Pashtun nation and its leadership in frustration. By arresting Manzoor Pashteen in such arbitrary and muscled manner proves that  these institutions are being used against Manzoor Pashteen.

Earlier, we have already informed your Excellency through a letter dispatched to you on May 2, 2019 about the threats hurled at PTM founder and central leader, Manzoor Ahmad Pashteen, who has been threatened constantly by the state institutions particularly the Pakistani Military and its intelligence agencies since the inception the  PTM in January 2018. He was fired at directly by a colonel of Pakistan Army, while  returning from the funeral of Arman Loni (killed by security forces on February 2, 2019) from Loralai district of Balochistan to his village in South Waziristan. Manzoor left the city of Qila Saifullah Balochistan at 12:00h. At around 12:30h  a colonel of Pakistan Army fired on his (Manzoor Pashteen) car and threatened him to kill him if he did not slow down his car. During all his  journey back home, he was threatened with pointed guns on several occasions by the security forces. There are several witnesses of these incidents including two Members of National Assembly of Pakistan named Ali Wazir and Mohsin Dawar. This is how, the government of Pakistan is trying to circumvent his freedom of movement and freedom of expression. The state of Pakistan particularly the Military Establishment is in very desperate mood and can attack and kill Manzoor Pashteen any time as they consider him to be a threat to the state of Pakistan. On December 18, 2018 Ministry of Interior put Manzoor Pashteen on Exit-Control-List (ECL-travel ban out-side the country) copy attached. Earlier he was banned from entering Sindh on December 07 2018  & then Baluchistan, the copies of the notifications attached. There are constant physical and verbal threats to him by Pakistan Army that they will isolate him from Pashtun nation and then kill him.

Manzoor Pashteen, a hero of millions of Pashtuns has not violated any law of the country. He demand a peaceful and dignified life for his fellow Pashtuns.

The main demands of PTM are as under;

1. Treatment of  Pashtuns in humane and civilized manner by Pakistan Army at the Military check- points in FATA.
2. Remove landmines to protect women and children from being killed and injured on daily basis.
3. Establishment of an International Enquiry Commission to probe the circumstances and facts surrounding the enforced disappearance and the  extra-judicial killing of a Senior Police Officer Tahir Dawar.
4. Arrest and trying in courts of a police officer RAO Anwar who is responsible for extra-judicial killing of 444 innocent civilians including Naqeebullah Mahsood.
5. Establishment of an International Truth and Reconciliation Commission under the auspices of United Nations to fix the responsibility for the Genocide of Pashtun people and bring the culprits to justice.
6. Request Pakistan to present thousands of forcibly disappeared persons before the courts of law, and release them immediately if not found guilty.
7.  Demand Justice in the pre-planned extra-Judicial killing of  a leader of Pashtun Protection Movement (PTM) professor Ibrahim Alias Arman Loni, a  by Security forces, in Loralai District of Balochistan, Pakistan.

We strongly believe that Human rights defenders like Manzoor Pashteen and civil society should be able to express their opinion freely and dissent without fear of reprisal.

We are demanding our basic fundamental Human Rights as guaranteed by International Human Rights Law, UN declaration of Human Rights and other relevant conventions and treaties to which the State of Pakistan is a signatory.

We request to all the civilized countries of world, International Human Rights Organizations and United Nations to take notice of these fascist, inhumane and unconstitutional acts of  State of Pakistan and put pressure on her and particularly Pakistan Army to refrain from pushing Pashtun people to the point of no- return. We believe that UN can play an important role for peace and stability in the region by directly contacting Pakistan Army to refrain from labelling baseless accusation and hurling threats to senior leadership of PTM. We demand from UN to provide international protection to Manzoor Ahmad Pashteen, who’s life is in danger in Pakistan.

Best Regards

Fazal ur Rehman AFRIDI

For:

PTM ADVOCACY COMMITTEE EUROPE & KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA

President PTM France