Geneva: Pashtuns hold anti-Pakistan protest over human rights violations

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) organised a protest rally in Geneva accusing Pakistan army for sponsoring terrorism and carrying out gross human rights violations.

The rally started from Lake Geneva to Broken Chair in front of the United Nations and was attended by Pashtuns from Pakistan and Afghanistan. During the rally, the protesters raised slogans against Pakistan Army for carrying out genocide of Pashtuns by supporting terrorist outfits like Pakistani Taliban.

The Afghans also accused Pakistan for targeting Afghan refugees and carrying out atrocities on them.

Regarding the human rights violation and surge in terrorism in Pakistan, Pashtun Human Rights Activist, Fazal-ur-Rehman Afridi said that the Pashtuns are facing a tough time in Pakistan.

Speaking to ANI, he said, “You know Pashtuns are going through a very critical period of their life. You know the Pakistani Army is committing gross human rights violations like extra judicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions and torture, but this time we are concentrating on one of the most important points, that is the systematic use of torture by Pakistan Army.”

“For last few months , they are arresting the activists of PTM and then torturing them in custody and then forcing them to publish the videos against PTM…that is an important issue as UN convention on torture states that no torture is acceptable in any way,” he added.

Meanwhile, the protesters also raised accused Pakistan Army of abducting Pashtun political activists and torturing and killing them.

Lambasting the Pakistan military, another activist, Malik Bazai, the PTM Europe coordinator said, “In Pakistan, not only Pashtuns, but even Baloch, Sindhi, Kashmiri, none of the communities are happy.”

He said, “Pakistan Army is spreading terrorism, and fear and the Pashtuns are experiencing it on their own land. It is because of them, this terrorism that over 70,000 of our Pashtuns have been killed and at least 2 lakh homes of the community have bene destroyed,” Bazai told ANI.

In another statement, Hasham Utmankhil, representing PTM, France, said the activists have gathered here to give a clear message that Pashtuns are very peaceful people.

“Right now, as you can see, we are here in front of the United Nations..we are giving a clear message to the UN that Pashtuns are very peaceful people .The Pashtuns are nothing related to the terrorism and Pakistan Army keep supporting the terrorists ….The Pakistan Army keep killing, target killing Pashtuns, Baloch people, and Kashmiris…,” Utmankhil said. (ANI)