ISLAMABAD: Balochistan’s caretaker Minister for Information, Jan Achakzai, announced on Tuesday that the provincial government had safely delivered Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) chief Manzoor Pashteen, arrested in Chaman the previous day, to the Dera Ismail Khan police.
Pashteen was apprehended by Levies and police over disputed claims of firing by his party and local police.
Chaman Deputy Commissioner Raja Athar Abbas stated that the arrest was related to gunfire at police from Pashteen’s vehicle and a ban on his entry into Balochistan. PTM, however, claimed that law enforcement agencies had fired at Pashteen’s vehicle while he was traveling from Chaman to Turbat.
Achakzai, in a statement, rejected PTM’s allegations, asserting that Pashteen had been expelled from Balochistan and handed over to DI Khan police. He claimed that Pashteen’s bodyguard had fired in front of the Chaman Press Club, injuring a woman and a child.
Achakzai mentioned that there were calls from youth and civil society in Balochistan to ban PTM, with people on social media declaring it a terrorist organization. The provincial government is considering a ban on PTM in Balochistan, he added.
Highlighting Pashteen’s entry into Balochistan despite a ban, Achakzai mentioned the PTM leader’s participation in protests in Chaman against the alleged extrajudicial killing of Balaach Balaach Mola Bakhsh in Turbat.
Last week, Pashteen announced his participation in the protest, ongoing for over a week after the Counter Terrorism Department claimed to have killed Bakhsh and three others in an encounter on November 24.
Achakzai previously referred to PTM as an “anti-Pakistan organization.” In response, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed alarm at Pashteen’s arrest, emphasizing PTM’s non-violent approach and calling for an impartial inquiry. HRCP urged the state to stop unwarranted antagonism against PTM leaders and address their legitimate grievances fairly.
