
Pakistan - October 2024
Government bans Pashtun Protection Movement
On 6 October, the Pakistan government banned the Pashtun Protection Movement (Pashtun Tahafuz Movement, PTM), an ethnic social movement for Pashtun rights in Pakistan. The Interior Ministry cited peace and security concerns, putting the PTM on the list of proscribed organizations under the country’s anti-terrorism laws. The ban occurred just a few days before a planned assembly of PTM leaders and resulted in protests from PTM supporters, during which three people were killed in clashes with police. Human rights groups warn that banning the PTM is a continuation of the government crackdown on both voices critical of the military establishment and supporters of the former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Sources: New York Times, Arab News, Al Jazeera, Amnesty International, Himal Southasian



