Islamabad [Pakistan], August 12 : Pakistan’s liberal Pashtuns are raising their voices against the government’s attempts to fuel unrest in neighbouring Afghanistan by assisting the Taliban. The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), an anti-war group, has held massive rallies in several parts of the province in the past few weeks. The PTM has condemned the Taliban and expressed its support for the Afghan government, Thailand’s Haiger media reported. The PTM has also gained ground in the country’s northwest areas in recent years. And it had been raising its voices against the government-sponsored terror in the country and nearby. Pashtuns in the country’s northwestern region believe that Pakistan is responsible for Afghanistan’s deteriorating condition day by day as Islamabad has been behind the terror group for a long time and now it provides all kinds of assistance to the Taliban. Most of these ethnic Pashtuns are wary of a never-ending war in their region and blame both the Taliban and Islamabad for the devastation in their areas, Haiger said. Progressive Pashtuns in the country’s northwestern areas are not inclined toward the terror group as they believe that violence can never bring peace. They recently held a convention in Charsadda, a town in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, to discuss the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, Haiger said. Pashtuns have denounced the Taliban’s assaults on Afghan forces and also condemned the US’ Doha deal with the Taliban, saying it practically legitimised the militant group. They are also afraid that a terror group’s control in the nearby region may impact Pakistan’s northwestern region too. The party has gained ground in the country’s northwest areas in recent years. And it had been raising its voices against the government-sponsored terror in the country and nearby. There have been multiple attempts of targeting Pashtun activists by the government as they speak against Islamabad. Last week, Awami National Party’s (ANP) leader Malik Ubedullah’s handcuffed body was found from Balochistan’s Pishin district. The body was recovered from the district’s Muhajir camp Saranan. Enforced disappearances of political activists, students and other intellectuals are now common in Balochistan as Pakistani security forces have launched a campaign to silence the dissidents. Earlier this month, Pashtun leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai had called on the Imran Khan-led Pakistan government to denounce its support to the war in Afghanistan stating that peace in this country is important for regional stability. Achakzai, leader of Pakistan’s Awami National Party leader recently said that the world should respect Afghanistan’s independence.
