External
Powers behind The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement By Sajjad
Shaukat (JR147 SS33)
External powers
which have been supporting the Baloch
Sub-Nationalists (BSNs) are also behind the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement
(PTM) as part of their unfinished agenda against
Pakistan. They leave no stone
unturned in misguiding the people of the Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
(KPK) by creating one after another issue. But, it is regrettable that some
internal entities of Pakistan, which are also assisting some foreign powers,
are manipulating various issues so as to fulfill the external agenda of the
enemies of Pakistan.
In this regard,
emergence of the PTM at a crucial time, which is being paid by anti-Pakistan
hostile elements and countries, aims at accentuating the ethnic cleavages of
the country, influence Pashtun population in pursuance of strategic objectives
of the external powers. So, it stands exposed that the PTM is heavily dependent
on foreign support and financing.
PTM is also reaching
out to the people through the forums of social media and foreign sponsored
network of Mashaal, Deeva, VOA, Indian media and Afghan radio and television
services. Blogs and web pages like “Tribal News” and “Khabaryal” are heavily
financed by Indian Intelligence agency RAW through Nangarhar (Afghanistan)
based Hawala/Hundi business.
Strangely, PTM
leaders are pursuing the agenda through a web having signatures of Foreign
HIAS. Case of the US Army veteran Colonel,
Lawrence Sellin can be quoted as a new example. Colonel Sellin has
started tweeting on anti-Pakistan themes about China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
(CPEC), Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan, Balochistan, Sub-nationalism (Pashtun,
Sindhi, Mohajir, Baloch). He has been following the narratives mostly of
Afghanistan’s intelligence agency National Directorate of Security (NDS) and
RAW. He also writes anti-Pakistan Blogs and articles. Baloch, PTM and sub-nationalists
and Hussain Haqqani are his followers on twitter.
It is notable
that a PTM social media activist Arman Luni died in Lorali, Baloschistan due to
an apparent cardiac arrest. PTM alleged that Luni was killed by police on
behest of the state. Luni is presented as Pashtun national hero by likes of the
PTM and their Afghan backers.
Pakistan being
the front state in war on terror has rendered sacrifices in general, while the
sufferings of Pashtun segment are undoubtedly colossal. They have faced tortures
at the hands of terrorists such as displacements, life and economic losses,
causing psychological pains. Ironically, when they needed “POST TRAUMA STRESS DISORDER treatment” in
the wake of Pakistan’s successful military operations in flushing out
terrorists, the hostile foreign elements have attempted to prolong their pain
by launching the PTM.
As Pakistan
Armed Forces have flushed out terrorists from Tribal/border areas and are
currently engaged in consolidating the international Pak-Afghan border through
fencing to completely neutralized the infiltrations from Afghanistan, an
orchestrated campaign through sponsored media and activation of the PTM to
incite the Pashtoon population, has been launched. However, the PTM seems to
have failed in instigating the public and creating a commotion leading to
“yellow revolution” like sit-in protest and demonstrations.
As regards the
internal elements, the PTM and other anti-Pakistan slogans are being supported
by the “leftist leaders” and social media activists like Afrasiab Khattak,
Bushra Gohar, Gulalai Ismail, Hussain Haqqani etc. All the PTM activities are
getting extraordinary coverage from the media—VOA, Deeva Radio, Mashaal Radio
and BBC. Understandingly, these activities are more pronounced in the Pashto
language transmissions of these broadcasting stations.
Although the PTM
elements are using the old slogan of “Pashtunistan” (Bar and Lar Afghan) to
instigate the innocent and insensitive populace, yet with negligible effects,
the handlers of the PTM are now acknowledged the failure of their campaign in
creating a stir in Pashtun politics. But, to give a flip to their diminishing
politics, recent incident of death of a local Aman Loni in Baluchistan is being
exploited to resurrect the party activities to some extent.
In this respect,
question arises that if the PTM is sincere to the Pushtun people, as to why it
has not raised the human rights issues, being faced by Pashtun population in
Afghanistan.
It is time to
take the debate of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) to Afghanistan as Bar Afghan
debate. Afghan Pashtuns are also real Pashtuns as the Pashtuns elsewhere in the
world. While, one is stunned to see that there is no voice for the Afghan
Pashtuns on social media, whereas the so-called cause of the Pakistani Pashtuns
is actively propagated by the external powers.
Real cause of
worry for backers of the PTM is the victory of real Afghan Pashtuns against the
backers of the PTM. Their frustration is high because the PTM is left with very
little time before the real Pashtuns, as the Taliban will be in power in
Afghanistan and the assistance for the PTM from NDS and RAW backed the
regime-National Unity Government (NUG) will die.
The way the
Afghan Pashtuns have been treated and plundered in Afghanistan, is not hidden
from anyone. Afghan Pashtuns have been made to sacrifice their generations,
migrate from their lands, losing their livelihood. Why the VOA, Radio Mashaal,
Radio Deewa and social media propagandists like Afrasiab Khattak and Bushra
Gohar never speak for their plight. Why not to speak for Pashtuns on that side
in Afghanistan?
PTM is actually
a veritable political entity of the Afghanistan-based Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP). It wants to accomplish its nefarious designs through so-called
nonviolent means as to what TTP could not achieve through violence.
As the number of
the PTM followers is negligibly-few thousands, there is a need of strict legal
and administrative measures to be taken against the group.
It is
mentionable that as a token of commitment to
rebuild Afghanistan, on March 25, 2018 Pakistan handed over state of the art medical equipment for Nishter Kidney
Centre Jalalabad to Governor of Jalalabad, Afghanistan.
In
this context, Islamabad provided complete medical equipment, worth US $ 5
million to the hospital. In addition, around 75 doctors and technicians were
trained in PIMS Hospital Islamabad, last year and it will be a great help for
Afghanistan in running some hospitals.
Pakistan
also extended assistance to provide specialized training to another 42 Afghan
doctors and technicians at the Institute of Kidney Diseases in Hayatabad
Medical Complex, Peshawar.
Nonetheless, one
wonders as to what the PTM is aiming at? Actually, the PTM is acting against
the Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) to undermine the successes, achieved by
Pakistan during the war on terror. By raising malicious slogans, PTM and their
backers fail to understand that Pakistani nation is well aware of their new
tactics of using soft power. Their anti-state and state institutions’ agenda is
already exposed and real Pashtuns do not trust them anymore.
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