Pak: Rights group urges KP CM to reveal whereabouts of "disappeared" activists

Peshawar [Pakistan], May 1 : The UK chapter of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) has written to Sohail Afridi, expressing serious concern over the alleged enforced disappearance of PTM activists Hanif Pashteen and Noor Ullah Tareen, who have remained missing since being taken into police custody in November 2025.

In its letter, PTM UK Chapter stated that Hanif Pashteen and Noor Ullah Tareen, both members of the civil rights movement, were detained on November 12, 2025, after attending a provincial assembly session in Peshawar as community representatives.

According to the letter, the assembly had been convened by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government, but the PTM delegation was allegedly denied the opportunity to present its views during proceedings.

The letter noted that after being prevented from speaking, the delegation boycotted the session and left the Provincial Assembly premises. However, immediately after exiting, police personnel reportedly intercepted them.

According to eyewitnesses cited in the letter, the Capital City Police Officer of Peshawar was present at the scene and allegedly ordered seven members of the delegation, including Hanif Pashteen and Noor Ullah Tareen, to be taken away in police vehicles.

Following their detention, the whereabouts of all seven individuals reportedly remained unknown for weeks. PTM UK Chapter stated that on 18 January 2026, five of the forcibly disappeared individuals were released from Attock Jail in Punjab.

However, Hanif Pashteen and Noor Ullah Tareen have not been released, and their whereabouts remain unknown.

The letter emphasises that the families of both activists have not been informed of any formal charges, legal proceedings or detention status, raising serious concerns over violations of constitutional protections and international human rights obligations.

PTM UK Chapter described the continued disappearance of the two activists as a violation of their rights to liberty and a fair trial, warning that their secret detention raises fears of torture, ill-treatment and other grave human rights abuses.

"The lack of transparency about their whereabouts and the conditions of their detention heightens concerns for their life, safety and well-being," the letter stated.

In its appeal to Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, PTM UK Chapter called for the immediate disclosure of Hanif Pashteen and Noor Ullah Tareen's whereabouts to their families and demanded their unconditional release.

The letter urged the chief minister to uphold justice and human rights by taking urgent action to address what it described as grave violations.

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