Pashteen arrested

Manzoor Pashteen, chief of the Pashtun Protection Movement (PTM), appeared before a magistrate here after being detained shortly after midnight, said police official Shiraz Khan. Khan said Pashteen would be transferred to another district where he is wanted on charges including sedition, hate speech, incitement against the state, and criminal conspiracy. Mohsin Dawar, a PTM member of parliament from the North Waziristan tribal district, confirmed Pashteen's arrest to AFP.

"He has been charged in many cases including sedition," Dawar said, who along with another PTM MP was detained by authorities for months last year. Dawar later announced countrywide non-violent protests. "Tomorrow we will give a clear message to the state through our non-violent protests," he said in a press conference in Islamabad. "Manzoor Pashteen has been arbitrarily detained for exercising his human rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. He must be released immediately and unconditionally. ReleaseManzoorPashteen" tweeted Amnesty International South Asia.