The leadership of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) could provide true respite to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by outcasting terrorist leaders through the Pashtun National Jirga. At the very least, they should expel Noor Wali Mehsud from his tribe for his involvement in the mass killings of Pashtuns during the terrorist attacks. But Manzoor Pashteen would not consider this course of action as Fitna al Khawarij. TTP and PTM have sympathies on the basis of tribal bonds.
TTP exercised 5-day ceasefire to facilitate PTM in holding a Jirga in which national security institutions were maligned for nefarious designs. To the contrary, when Pashtun masses were participating in the 8 February general elections, Khawarij TTP erupted to kill people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in terrorist attacks. Therefore, PTM is making unlawful and unconstitutional demands of security forces to halt counterterrorism operations in the areas where TTP is based.
The PTM’s leadership is criticized for failing to address the threat posed by terrorist leaders like Noor Wali Mehsud.
PTM has a myopic view on terrorism, a global threat, but its leadership considers it only a problem of the Pashtun community, and it is creating threat misperception in the society. Manzoor Pashteen did not criticize Afghanistan and the Taliban for contributing to terrorism, while the international community is very vocal in this regard. Chinese Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong, recently stated that around twenty terrorist outfits are active in Afghanistan.
Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov has also raised concerns over growing terrorist groups in Afghanistan, and he has warned that these militants could destabilize Central Asian states. Similarly, General Michael E. Kurilla, commander, US Central Command, said in March that Afghanistan is harboring Fitna al Khawarij TTP, and inaction against ISIS-K sanctuaries would incite violent conflicts in South and Central Asia.
Multiple reports of UNSC support Pakistan’s claims that Fitna al Khawarij TTP is becoming a global terrorist threat. Therefore, PTM’s opposition to visa regulations and border control mechanisms is aimed at strengthening the alliance of terrorists and smugglers, and it would facilitate Fitna al Khawarij TTP in the free movement of terrorists, arms, and explosives.
As a result, there has been a surge in terrorist attacks and suicide bombings within society. Moreover, PTM’s stance on identity documents and visa policy of Pakistan is against international law and norms of international relations. The Pashtun national Jirga demanded the government surrender sovereignty to Afghanistan, which would be unacceptable for any independent state in the world.
PTM’s demands to halt counterterrorism operations are seen as unlawful and detrimental to security in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
As a matter of fact, the rise of PTM is synonymous with the resurgence of terrorism and Khawajij TTP in the country. It has devised illegal activities and informal forums to create a false perception of its popularity. The misuse of social media platforms and the exploitation of Pashtun Jirgas do not accurately reflect their influence on the Pashtun masses.
Social media platforms provide enormous space for antisocial elements to remain anonymous and disseminate misinformation with unusual speeds and connectivity. There are many instances in which political movements and elections in a country were manipulated by another country through social media.
The information revolution and social media have empowered the common man, but they have also become potent sources of manipulation for the general public at the hands of gigantic technology companies. Therefore, some political analysts believe that social media has strengthened democracy, while some other researchers criticize it for threatening democratic values in the world.
The lack of a single survey poll on PTM’s popularity demonstrates that its claims to represent the interests of Pashtuns are a sham. PTM shies away from electoral politics due to a lack of public support. It conducted a Pashtun national Jirga with big fanfare, but it failed to gather people enough to the strength of a provincial constituency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The group’s narrow focus on Pashtun issues creates a misperception of terrorism as solely a local problem, ignoring its global implications.
Indeed, the massive participation in the national elections demonstrated that Pashtuns had rejected PTM. Therefore, PTM has neither legal grounds nor democratic values to represent the will of the people of Pakistan, as elected governments are in place on a federal and provincial level under the constitution. Hence, it is depending on illegal jirgas to undermine the true representatives of the general public.
 Manzoor Pashteen attempted to become the de facto ruler of KP by convening the Pashtun national jirga, and he exploited the ethnic sentiments of Pashtun leadership for his own sense of grandiosity. He crossed a red line when he gave an ultimatum to the armed forces to quit KP in two months. This demonstrates the justification for the federal government’s ban on PTM, which poses a genuine security threat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Disclaimer:Â The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.
A freelance contributor with a M.Phil in International relations from Quaid-e-Azam University. Follow on X at @Radiant_j_007.