Home Latest News Activists Clash With Military in North Waziristan

Activists Clash With Military in North Waziristan

by AFP

File Photo. Asif Hassan—AFP

Three people killed, 10 others injured after protesters charged checkpost, according to military statement

Three activists from a civil rights movement were killed on Sunday after troops clashed with protesters led by two parliamentarians in restive North Waziristan near the Afghan border, the military said.

The protest was led by the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), which has rattled the military since it burst onto the scene earlier last year with a call to end alleged abuses by security forces targeting ethnic Pashtuns in the tribal areas along the Afghan border.

Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir, both members of Parliament, were leading the demonstration when a confrontation broke out at a checkpost in Boyya in North Waziristan. “In [an] exchange of fire, three individuals who attacked the post lost their lives and 10 got injured,” said the military in a statement, adding that at least five Army soldiers also sustained injuries. “Ali Wazir along with eight individuals has been arrested while Mohsin Javed [Dawar] is at large after inciting the crowd,” the statement added.

What exactly led to the confrontation remains murky, with the military saying the activists assaulted the checkpoint, while PTM leader Dawar has alleged security forces fired directly into their group after they passed the checkpoint. “They fired straight at us,” Dawar later alleged to Voice of America in an interview.

The incident follows months of rising tensions between the two sides, with the military publicly warning PTM leaders repeatedly to end the group’s vocal criticism of the country’s armed forces.

Since launching in 2018, the PTM has unleashed festering anger over abuses allegedly committed against Pashtuns across the country, including enforced disappearances and targeted killings. The movement has remained peaceful since it began, but has been notable for its direct verbal attacks on the armed forces, in a country where such criticism is largely seen as a red line.

Pashtuns straddle both sides of the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan and account for roughly 15 percent of Pakistan’s population, with a majority of the 30 million-strong group living in the northwest and a significant population in Karachi.

Sunday’s incident occurred in North Waziristan, where the movement is believed to draw much of its support. The area was once plagued by militancy and unrest. Washington believes Pakistan is providing safe haven to militant groups there—including the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network. Islamabad vehemently denies this.

The Army has carried out multiple operations in the region, and security—both there and across Pakistan—has dramatically improved in recent years. However, the PTM alleges the operations came at a heavy price, accusing the military of extrajudicial killings and “disappearing” thousands of people in the crackdown.

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