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The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has announced to strictly impose a ban on the activities of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), Pakistan-based Geo News reported.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government's decision comes days after the federal government declared the Manzoor Pashteen-led PTM a proscribed organisation. The provincial government's reaffirmation comes hours after the warning from Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who said that anyone found involved in facilitating the PTM would be dealt with an iron fist. In a video statement, Barrister Saif, the spokesperson and advisor to the KP Chief Minister, said that the federal government issued an official notification banning the PTM under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). Saif emphasised that PTM is involved in activities against the state and the constitution and stressed that it cannot be permitted to hold political gatherings or rallies in the province, according to Geo News report. He said that PTM announced a gathering in the Khyber district, where the authorities placed Section 144 to stop unlawful assemblies. Barrister Saif said that the outlawed group, despite the ban, tried to hold a public gathering on Wednesday, which resulted in clashes between police and the PTM supporters and led to some unpleasant incidents. He said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur summoned the elected members of the district and asked them to hold talks with tribal elders and stakeholders for a peaceful resolution of the issue, Geo News reported. Saif said, "The provincial government is doing everything in its domain to maintain law and order," stressing that it is the government's responsibility to ensure the safety of all residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. On October 6, the federal government imposed a ban on the PTM, citing the party's activities as prejudicial to the peace and security of Pakistan. The government has imposed the ban under Section 11B of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997, Geo News reported. The notification released by Pakistan's Ministry of Interior stated, "The federal government having reasons to believe that the PTM is engaged in certain activities prejudicial to peace and security of the country [...] is pleased to list the PTM in the First Schedule as a proscribed organisation." Previously, the Balochistan government enacted a 90-day ban on Pashteen's entry into the region. The Balochistan Home Department's notification stated that this ban would restrict Pashteen's access to Balochistan until November 20 of this year, asserting that it was implemented "in the best interest of public peace and security." These latest bans on the PTM have escalated the existing tensions between the movement and the government, highlighting deeper issues related to Pashtun rights and state authority in Pakistan. Notably, the PTM works to advocate for the Pashtun community's rights and aims to address concerns such as enforced disappearances and military actions in tribal areas, yet it continues to face increasing restrictions on its activities. (ANI)
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