8am: Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Afghan Taliban share a unified strategy and a common goal, leading them to cooperate across both geographies. While some Afghan Taliban members harbor dreams of erasing the Durand Line and merging large parts of Pakistani territory into Afghanistan—an ambition they sometimes express through various pretexts, such as map drawing—each
Afghanistan International: A spokesman for the Taliban’s Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice called the Pashtun Jirga of Pakistan the work of “ISI contractors and mercenaries” and a “conspiracy” of the organisation. Without naming anyone, Saif Khyber said that these people were taking advantage of the “compulsions of the Pashtun people”. The
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty October 12, 2024 By Abubakar Siddique Pakistan’s decision to ban a prominent civil rights organization will further alienate the country’s large Pashtun ethnic minority, experts say. The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), a grassroots movement that advocates for the rights of Pakistan’s estimated 40 million Pashtuns, was designated a “proscribed organization” on
Afghanistan International: The federal government of Pakistan announced on Sunday that it has officially designated the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) as a ‘proscribed organisation,’ effectively banning its activities across the country. Click here to read more (external link).
By Nafees Takar VOA News July 25, 2024 Washington — Militant attacks in Pakistan’s northwest have plagued the region for years, leading to tensions between some of the region’s civilian leaders and the Pakistani military. Last month, the military announced the Azm-e-Istehkam or “Resolve for Stability” offensive would be an operation that cracks down on militants,
By Tahir Khan Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty July 23, 2024 Maulana Fazlur Rehman, leader of the largest Islamist party in Pakistan, has voiced his opposition to a planned operation by the military to root out militants along the Afghan border. In an interview with RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal on July 22, the controversial cleric called for peace talks between
Ariana: Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khwaja Asif said Monday Islamabad needs to rethink its stance of extending hospitality to the people from Afghanistan – claiming they are ungrateful. “You see how thankless these people are. We fought a war with them. We fought a war for them. We became a US ally and fought a war
By RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal July 21, 2024 Pakistan on July 21 reopened a key border crossing point with Afghanistan after a nine-month closure following complaints by residents. Pakistan in October closed the Chaman-Spin Boldak border that runs through Pashtun communities, ending the century-old Easement Rights, which had allowed certain communities along the 19th-century Durand Line border
By RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal January 28, 2024 Police in the Pakistani city of Lahore have detained several members of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) who were protesting the continuing detention of group leader Manzoor Pashteen, who has campaigned for the country’s Pashtun minority. The movement has pressed since 2018 for the rights of Pakistan’s estimated 35
VOA News December 5, 2023 The leader of a Pakistan ethnic group has been detained after authorities said armed men in his vehicle opened fire on police. Raja Athar Abbas, the deputy commissioner of the northcentral city of Chaman, which sits on the border with Afghanistan, said that Manzoor Pashteen was arrested in connection with