The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) was banned last month under Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act over allegations that the group was prejudicial to the peace and security of the country. The reason for this national security proscription, however, is more likely the government’s inability to control the rapid growth of the movement. The social justice movement advocates for the rights of the Pashtun ethnic minority and has suffered under the government’s attempt to silence dissent that persevered despite violent crackdowns and media censorship.
In the past decade, documentation of human rights abuses faced by the Pashtun community in Pakistan has been done almost entirely online. PTM effectively utilizes social media to amplify its message, disseminate information, mobilize supporters, organize protests in masses, and respond to accusations from the government. They also highlight atrocities committed by government and military officials.
This grassroots movement has harnessed the most influential platforms, including X, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and TikTok. They use these networks to share stories and organize protests to raise awareness about the injustices experienced by Pashtuns. Despite this, Pashtuns across Pakistan continuously suffer from systemic discrimination and are targeted with enforced disappearances, surveillance, and extrajudicial killings— all under the guise of national security.
Origins of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM)
The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) traces its roots back to 2014, when students from the Mehsud Tribe in South Waziristan launched the Mehsud Tahafuz Movement at Gomal University. The students sought to protect their community from the devastation brought on by Pakistani military operations targeting Taliban insurgents in their native villages in South Waziristan, a region heavily impacted by America’s War on Terror. As these operations intensified, displacing entire villages, the students were compelled to advocate for the Mehsud people’s safety, rights, and survival in the face of escalating violence and systemic neglect.
Military operations conducted by the Pakistani government in tribal areas bordering Afghanistan displaced millions of Pashtuns. In 2009, Pakistan Armed Forces began Operation Rah-e-Nijat against the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan militants— also known as the Pakistani Taliban. This clash uprooted around half a million Pashtuns in South Waziristan, resulting in destroyed homes, lost livelihoods, and the death of thousands.
In 2018, Naqeebullah Mehsud, a 27-year-old aspiring model from South Waziristan living in Karachi, was killed in a police encounter led by Rao Anwar. Anwar, the Senior Superintendent of Police in Karachi’s Malir District, had a notorious history of extrajudicial killings and corruption. Anwar falsely claimed that Naqeebullah and three others were Taliban militants, and thus arrested, tortured, and killed them. Despite overwhelming evidence—including cell phone data that placed Anwar at the scene and a failed attempt to flee the country—Anwar and his team were acquitted by an anti-terrorism court due to lack of evidence.
Naqeebullah was the sole provider for his family, who had already been deeply affected by the military operations in South Waziristan. Many Pashtuns like Naqeebullah have sought refuge in major cities like Karachi in search of education and employment, only to face discrimination, torture under the pretext of being Taliban sympathizers, and even fatalities in encounters with Pakistani security forces.
Naqeebullah’s tragic death became the tipping point for the Mehsud Tahafuz Movement, propelling it into a broader, nationwide Pashtun rights movement. His murder ignited a social media storm. This surge of outrage helped transform the Mehsud Tahafuz Movement into the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), gaining widespread support and further fueling the movement’s push for justice and equal rights for the Pashtun community.
Crackdown on Dissenting Voices
Manzoor Pashteen and Ali Wazir, close friends of Naqeebullah Mehsud, are leaders of the PTM who advocate for peaceful resistance— including resistance against being repeatedly targeted and labeled as unpatriotic by the Pakistani government and military officials. They are accused of supporting terrorists or separatist agendas in cooperation with neighboring Afghanistan. The government goes so far as to imprison PTM leadership like Pashteen and Wazir on charges of anti-state sentiments, treason, and terrorism for their efforts to address discrimination faced by Pashtuns in Pakistan.
Supporters of the PTM also face similarly tragic fates. Gilaman Wazir, a young poet and PTM activist from North Waziristan, was killed in July 2024 by unknown assailants after gaining fame on social media. Wazir worked to raise awareness about Pashtun rights through his revolutionary poetry and songs. PTM leaders believe Gilaman Wazir’s murder was state-sanctioned, as he had been detained by Pakistani authorities six months earlier and faced eight months of torture. Thousands attended his funeral in North Waziristan and the hashtag #GilamanWazir trended on X despite the platform being banned in the country.
That same July, thousands of supporters came together for a peace march in the Pakistani Bannu District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. The gathering, however, was met with violent repression from authorities, who opened fire on the crowd. This led to numerous injuries and fatalities among protestors. Despite efforts to intimidate PTM supporters into silence, they continue to assemble peacefully in defiance.
In October of 2024, Pakistani police targeted hundreds of Pashtuns protesting the PTM ban with tear gas, batons, and aerial firing, resulting in the killing of three people. Social media erupted with posts and videos capturing the incident from in the former tribal area town of Jamrud. The posts quickly spread awareness of the event, prompting international human rights monitoring organizations, including Amnesty International, to take notice. The organizations reprimanded the Pakistani government for banning the PTM and the use of anti-terrorism laws to target activists and peaceful protesters from minority groups. The discretionary laws were cited as an affront on the rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly.
Bypassing Media Censorship in an Apathetic State
As the PTM gains global momentum, it faces significant challenges, including government pushback, censorship, and efforts to discredit its leadership. The Pakistani government has sought to diminish the PTM’s impact by utilizing troll armies on platforms such as X and Facebook to target its leadership and supporters. However, the resilience of its supporters, combined with the power of digital communication, has enabled the movement to maintain its momentum. By leveraging digital tools, PTM activists have been able to bypass traditional media gatekeepers, ensuring that their narratives reach a global audience.
The use of social media platforms have allowed citizen journalists to capture the reality of Pashtuns in Pakistan and navigate state media and internet censorship— this in spite of Pakistan’s strict media legislation, frequent internet and media blackouts, and temporary bans on social media platforms like X and YouTube. According to the Digital 2023 Global Overview Report, there were 111.0 million internet users in Pakistan at the start of 2024, and 71.70 million social media users. While local Pakistani news channels self-censor their coverage of PTM due to fear of repercussions from the government, international platforms like Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, BBC, and Al Jazeera have spotlighted the plight of the Pashtun people. Their coverage has sparked conversations around broader issues of religious and ethnic discrimination and state oppression.
Digital platforms that allow live discussions, such as X Spaces, Facebook and Instagram Live, and Clubhouse give users the ability to provide alternative perspectives. Such platforms allowed for the collaboration of cross-cutting thematic issues like forced disappearances. For example, the Voice for Missing Baloch Persons, an organization that documents and advocates for missing persons in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, was able to hold virtual sit-ins alongside PTM.
The PTM movement has inspired similar initiatives across marginalized communities, including Balochis, Hazara, Sikhs, Hindus, Christians, and Ahmadiyya Muslims. This demonstrates the power of digital platforms in fostering solidarity and collective action, strengthening the resolve of various groups advocating for rights and recognition. The ongoing dialogue around Pashtun rights serves as a reminder of the importance of inclusive governance and the need for states to address the grievances of all their citizens.
(Niala Mohammad served as the Director of Policy and Strategy at the Muslim Public Affairs Council and was the Senior Policy Analyst for South Asia at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.)