Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar announced on Tuesday that the government has imposed a ban on the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement, citing substantial evidence as the basis for this decision.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar confirmed this development in a press conference on Tuesday.

“The PTM has been declared as a proscribed organization under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 based on concrete evidence,” he said.

The minister noted that the PTM had engaged in activities detrimental to national integrity, including burning the Pakistani flag,attacking Pakistani embassies abroad.

Tarar maintained that the Manzoor Pashteen-led party had links with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Afghan Taliban.

“These actions were seen as a threat to Pakistan’s sovereignty and security, leading to the government’s move to officially ban the organization,” he added.

The development comes days after Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur invited Manzoor Pashteen, leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), to the upcoming Pashtun Qaumi Jirga, set to take place on October 11.

The invitation was issued during a meeting between the two leaders, where Pashteen emphasised the importance of unity among Pashtuns.

PTM Background

The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement was established in May 2014, initially named the Mohsud Tahafuz Movement. However, it was renamed the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement in January 2018.

The PTM is a rights-based alliance that advocates not only for the de-mining of former tribal areas and increased freedom of movement in those regions but also demands an end to extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and unlawful detentions.

Several leaders, including Member of Assembly Ali Wazir, are in jail on serious charges, while another member and central leader, Mohsin Dawar, announced his separation from the party in 2021 to form a new party.