Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced the ban on PTM in a news conference with a very aggressive tone and attitude, claiming that PTM is involved in anti-state activities and that its leaders and supporters have been insulting not just Pakistan for years, but it also has ties to several anti-Pakistan countries and forces. According to the Minister of Interior, PTM has grown unpleasant, and as a result, the government has banned it and will take strong steps against its leaders and sympathizers, including blocking their identity cards, bank accounts, and passports. A day earlier, Federal Minister for Information Ata Tarar, in a press conference, among other allegations, accused PTM of having links with TTP and the Afghan Taliban and said that PTM has been receiving funding from outside.
The PTM’s October 11 Jamrud Jirga has been prohibited, while the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s spokesman Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif has also issued a statement outlawing the organization, stating that the provincial administration will implement the directives of the federal interior ministry.
Under democratic norms, none of this can be characterized as a green signal, but the current federal government’s and the military establishment’s stance appears to be particularly hostile to PTM. Instead, with PTI and TTP, a very stringent approach has been taken, in contrast to the previous. These three forces have been designated as anti-state by the government. As a result, it does not seem like any suggested leniency or concession is possible. In reaction to the TTP’s overt backing of the PTM’s October 11 Jamrud Jirga and the frequent campaigning by various Afghan politicians in favor of this event, the Pakistani state has softened and adopted the tightest approach.
This is even though PTM’s founder has indicated that the event and other activities are by Pakistan’s constitutional framework. The unpleasant truth that PTM is supported by certain anti-Pakistan groups and proxies cannot be overlooked, and the Pakistani state’s sensitivity to this matter, particularly its security forces, is well known. It is critical that all players, including PTM, avoid inciting passions and tensions, keeping in mind the sensitivity of the situation, because the circumstances and issues in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are completely different, and it may no longer be feasible to disregard some concerns.
The Mining Bill, Provincial Autonomy And National Interest
By Farman Ullah The recently held Mineral Summit was declared a success by federal officials. However, behind the positive tone, there’s a growing debate —