Manzoor Pashteen (Chairman of Pasthun Tahafuz Movement) 

Manzoor Pastheen is a Pakistani Pashtun human rights activist and is chairman of Pasthun tahafuz movement (PTM). Pasthun tahafuz movement is a platform that raises voice for the pasthuns and specially in Pakistan. PTM got attention through media and public when it protested for justice for Naqib Mehsood which was murdered in by Sindh police. Later, it was confirmed that he was innocent and still he is not provided justice. Mehsood’s death gave rise to well organized series of rallies called ‘Pashtun long march’ throughout the country.

 After that Manzoor Pastheen started different campaigns and set few demands from the government. 

  1.  Demanded the confrontation of authorities to accusations of involvement in   disappearance and death of hundreds of Pashtuns in FATA and Baluchistan.
  2. Demanded the removal of checkpoints from FATA areas.
  3. Removal of land mines that caused death of many Pashtuns.
  4. Compensations for the property that was destroyed due to Army operations in that region.

According to a report published in early 2018 by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, in 2017, the number of “enforced disappearances” – those linked to actions by security forces – in the country “continued to pose a real threat for human rights.”

867 people are only missing from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Pasthun tahafuz movement concedes that some of these missing are insurgents and that is why they are demanding the confrontation of the responsible for these activities in court.

Pashteen have achieved some of these demands but could not get main demands. The demand of disappearances still needs to be solved. Pashteen accuses the military for allying with Pakistani talibans. These accusation have increased the tensions between them.

Pashteen says his demands for human rights, equality, development, and peace extend to all the people of Pakistan and not only pasthun.

Some accusations are made against him that Manzoor was a stooge supported by foreign entities. They use ‘foreign support’ to argue that he is supported by the intelligence agencies of India, United States, and Afghanistan. These accusations were mainly after the tweet of Afghan president Ashraf Ghani for the Pasthun tahafuz movement. Manzoor Pashteen denied all these accusations and said that: 

"We are only the agents of our people and we only want peace".

He further said that those who call us foreign agents are the real foreign agents and they work for dollars.

Pasthun tahafuz movement is getting the attention of Pashtuns again as tensions are increasing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province as Taliban are trying to take control of some of the areas and they have made some movements. There was a huge blast in Swat last month. Pasthun tahafuz movement protested against the blast and gathered a big crowd. Manzoor accused the army that they are bringing the talibans again in Pakistan and it is a game for the dollars. He said at Asma Jahangir conference that army does not know any constitution and breaks it every time when they want to. They control everything through Vigos(car) and kidnaps anyone who tries to come in their way. Manzoor pashteen is booked by Lahore police in an FIR (first information report) and he will face terrorism charges for this speech.