US should force Pak to end Pashtun 'genocide', support to global terrorism: PTM
Washington [US], December 20 (ANI): Pashtun Tahfuz Movement USA (PTM
USA) has urged the United States and world organisations to force
Pakistan to end its harassment and extrajudicial killings of Pashtuns as
well as its support to global terrorism.
PTM USA, a worldwide civil
rights movement for the protection of Pashtuns' rights, on Friday held a
virtual protest against the arrest of Pashtun leader and member of
Pakistani parliament from Waziristan, Ali Wazir in Peshawar.
In a
statement, the PTM USA strongly condemned the act of illegal arrest and
harassment of the Pashtun leader and called on the Pakistani authorities
to release Ali Wazir immediately and withdraw the fake charges against
him.
"The way Ali Wazir, a representative of hundreds of thousands of
Pashtuns was arrested and paraded handcuffed in front of the media by
the Pakistani police is not only an insult to the parliament but to the
Pashtun nation itself," the statement read.
"PTM USA urged the US
govt and world organizations to force Pakistan to end its harassment and
extrajudicial killings of Pashtuns and its support to global
terrorism," the statement added.
In the meeting, members of PTM USA
from all over the US took stock of the situation arising out in the
aftermath of Ali Wazir's arrest and discussed ways to respond to the
challenges facing Pashtuns in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
PTM USA
central leader in Virginia, Akhtar Yousafi termed the arrest as a
blatant violation of Pakistani laws and constitution. "The manner in
which Ali Wazir was treated and the cases registered against him, can be
dangerous not for Pashtuns but for
Pakistan's own survival too," Yousafi said.
Ali
Wazir was arrested on December 16 when he along with millions of
Pashtuns were remembering the sixth anniversary of the Army Public
School attack in which more than 150 children and teachers were killed.
The
PTM USA said that Pakistan has not only failed to bring the killers to
justice but has tried to silence those who would ask for answers and
accountability.
Pashtuns are now increasingly being convinced that
the Pakistani army might be complicit in the attack and there are
increasing evidence pointing to its complicity, said the PTM USA.
"The
arrest of Ali Wazir on December 16, on the anniversary of the
liberation of East Bengal shows that Pakistan has not learnt any lesson
from history. Pakistan should have learnt from the creation of
Bangladesh or the Pashtuns will condemn it to repeat history," Hewad
Himmat, a PTM USA leader in Connecticut, USA said.
Shahi Sadat, a
Pashtun leader said that it's time for Pakistan to end its policy of
harassing and intimidating Pashtun leaders and population and called on
the international community to support Pashtuns in their struggle for
human and civil rights.
"The treatment meted out to Ali Wazir is
unacceptable to Pashtuns. Pashtuns must unite against the fascist
Pakistani state and its policies," Sadat said.
PTM USA also called
for the release of the other PTM leaders currently in Pakistani prisons
and asked Pakistan to stop filing fake charges against PTM leadership
and members.
"Punjab enmity towards the Pashtun has reached new
heights. Its time to put an end to the Pashtun genocide in Pakistan and
the American Pashtuns should play a more effective role to liberate
Pashtuns from Punjab's brutal subjugation," Aziz Jabarkhel, a PTM member
in Seattle, Washington said. (ANI)
Comments