Quetta [Pakistan], August 25 : The Balochistan government has imposed a 90-day ban on the entry of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leader Manzoor Pashteen into the region, The Balochistan Post reported.
The notification issued by the Balochistan Home Department stated that the current ban on Pashteen will restrict his entry into Balochistan until November 20 this year. In the notification, the administration claimed that the ban was announced "in the best interest of public peace and security."
PTM leader from the Balochistan province, Zubair Shah, has condemned local administration's decision. He said that this ban was imposed to stop Manzoor Pashteen from meeting leaders in Balochistan before October 11, for the 'Pashtun National Jirga', a major gathering of the Pashtun community.
Zubair Shah also claimed that the ban demonstrates the state's panic relating to the organization of the Pashtun National Jirga. He said, "The state and its institutions are in a state of confusion," The Balochistan Post reported.
He further said that a national decision will be made at the 'Pashtun National Jirga' regarding what he described as 77 years of "oppression, coercion, and exploitation faced by the Pashtun nation" on October 11, according to The Balochistan Post report.
Notably, the PTM has been raising issues of the Pashtun community in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Previously, the PTM had held a huge rally, stretching from Sultan Khel Market to Landi Kotal Bazar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to protest against alleged fake operations and military policies considered terrorism in the province.
Protesters passionately declared, "Pashtuns will not allow their land to be used for further operations and wars," reflecting the sentiments of the participants. Thousands of people participated in this demonstration against what they perceive as ongoing oppression, state terrorism, exploitation of mineral resources, target killings, and kidnappings.
During the demonstration, PTM founder Manzoor Pashteen said, "We will not tolerate this terrorist policy of the establishment and the army anymore. In this policy, not only the Pashtuns, but all nations and the lower class people are being exploited," The Balochistan Post reported.
He criticised, "This is terrorism, and behind it is the uniform. If the military's terrorist policy is not changed, soon the common people will get fed up and overthrow the military regime. We are closely monitoring the public anger."
In addition, the participants expressed their yearning for peace and justice, stressing the urgency to halt military operations and establish a fair and equitable system that upholds the rights and freedoms of all citizens.
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