Atrocities on Pashtuns exposed Pakistan’s real face: Indresh Kumar

New Delhi, July 3: Extending support to the movement launched by Pashtun Tahfooz Movement for preserving the identity of Pashtun people in Pakistan, senior RSS functionary and Patron of Forum for Awareness of National Security (FANS) Indresh Kumar said that Pakistan stands completely exposed before the world today due to its anti-minority activities.

 

Indresh Kumar said that the Pakistani army and government have wreaked havoc on the members of the Pashtun community since last some decades. Now the Pashtun people have intensified their struggle for preserving their identity and integrity, he said, extending full support to their struggle.

Members of the Pashtun Tahfooz Movement (PTM) are prepared to sacrifice for this movement and with the passage of time, this movement is catching attention along the border area. Pakistan today is struggling with a number of internal disturbances and agitations. In other words, it can be said that Pakistan today stands at the crossroads with a number of divisive movements being launched in different regions of that nation. In view of this, Pakistan is trying to crush the Pashtun movement, Indresh Kumar alleged.

He alleged that the Pashtuns residing from the Afghan border to Kashmir are subjected to torture and especially, women and youth are being targeted with priority. The government and the army in Pakistan are working in tandem to crush the Pashtun movement, he said adding that their human rights were being violated openly. Now only, the news of these atrocities is reaching to the world, he said.

 

At present, the influence of PTM is confined to Karachi and they are demanding the creation of a separate, autonomous, and sovereign Waziristan. The Pakistan army is deployed in 13 areas falling under the proposed Waziristan area and committing inhuman atrocities on the tribes living in these areas.

Indresh Kumar said that there is an urgent need to expose this violent and cruel face of Pakistan before the world. Besides, the salient features of the Pashtun movement should also be brought before the global community. The Pashtuns should intensify their struggle for existence and identity with all their might.

He appealed to the Pashtun youths to come forward to carry this movement forward uniting all the Pashtun people. It is necessary to save the Pashtuns from Pakistan’s violent atrocities and it was wrong to call them ‘Kafir’ and treat inhumanly.

He also called for a sustained campaign on social media to expose Pakistan for its inhuman treatment to the Pashtun people and India, as a champion of human rights, should send a clear signal supporting the Pashtun movement.

FNAS National General Secretary Golok Bihari Rai addressed the webinar saying that this Pashtun movement is going on for the last seven decades. He said that the young generation of Pashtun are well aware of their human rights and independence and have challenged the Pakistani army unitedly. The peaceful protest agitation held simultaneously in 22 cities in 2019 is an indication of this unrest brewing in the Pashtun community, he said.

The Pashtun people are conducting their movement in Pakistan and the movement has gathered momentum forcing the Pakistani army to commit brutal atrocities on them to crush their movement. But in spite of this, their voice is becoming louder day by day and we need to support their movement.

 Founder of PTM Europe Aurangzeb Khan addressed the webinar. He said that Hindustan can understand the pains and agony of the Pashtun people in a better way. The major part of the Pashtun territory falls in Pakistan and Pakistan army has always with the help and support of the Taliban, tried to suppress the Pashtun movement, he added. 

The real face of Pakistan was exposed to the reports of atrocities on Pashtuns in South Waziristan became public. The Pashtun people are always victims of the Pak-sponsored terrorism and it has been our demand that Pakistan should contain this terrorism of Pakistani army, Khan said.

Pashtun community is still fighting for their identity and separate homeland bracing the uncounted atrocities of the Pakistani army, he said. He also alleged that the Pakistani media always neglected the issues of the Pashtun community. He alleged that Pakistan has misused the funds obtained from the USA and encouraged terrorism as part of their conspiracy in connivance with the army.

ICWA research fellow Aashish Shukla said that PTM has now become the voice of the Pashtun community. In the last 3-4 years, this movement is gaining momentum and people in the other parts of the world are getting to know about this movement. It is time to lend a helping hand to this movement now, he said and alleged that the Pakistani army is trying to crush this movement with brute force while the Pashtun community is demanding only their constitutional rights to be restored.

Pratik Joshi from Oxford University, London, said that Pakistan has launched a proxy war from Kabul to Kashmir despite its weak economy. Pakistan has always used the Pashtuns and now this community is becoming aware of this fact after so many years. During the last decade, the Pashtuns were subjected to inhuman and brutal tortures under the “War of Terror” in Waziristan following which hundreds of Pashtuns became homeless. Now they are raising their voice against these atrocities under the banner of PTM.

The Pashtuns have an emotional bonding with India and as such India should come forward to support their movement, he said.