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The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) and the Baloch Advocacy and Studies Center (BASC) jointly held a significant meeting in London to raise awareness about the ongoing human rights violations in Pakistan's Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions.
The meeting, held on Sunday, brought together key representatives and activists from both organisations who are based in the United Kingdom. The participants voiced serious concerns over the deteriorating human rights situation and expressed solidarity with the Baloch and Pashtun communities suffering from systemic oppression in Pakistan. Speaking at the event, PTM and BASC leaders underlined the importance of unified efforts in confronting state-sponsored violence, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and restrictions on freedom of expression in both regions. The two organisations decided to enhance coordination through the joint documentation of human rights abuses. It was agreed that future advocacy initiatives will include publishing comprehensive and evidence-based reports to inform the international community and human rights watchdogs. "The people of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been denied justice for decades. Through this collaboration, we aim to amplify their voices and ensure their plight is no longer ignored by the world," a joint statement issued after the meeting read. Both PTM and BASC reaffirmed their commitment to peaceful advocacy and dialogue and pledged to continue their efforts to expose human rights violations and seek justice for victims. The meeting concluded with plans for future engagement and a call for international organisations and governments to take notice of the human rights crisis unfolding in Pakistan's marginalised regions. Meanwhile, a few days back, PTM activist Fazal ur Rehman Afridi has vehemently criticised the recent drone strike conducted by the Pakistan Army in Hurmuz, North Waziristan, which resulted in the deaths of four young children and their mother. In an interview with ANI, the activist claimed that the areas populated by Pashtuns in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are being utilised as a "laboratory" by the Pakistani military to test various weapons, notably drones. Afridi disclosed that there have been more than 32 drone strikes in North and South Waziristan and Tank districts over the past few years. "This is not the first instance where the Pakistani army has assaulted innocent Pashtun civilians, particularly women and children," he stated, noting that the latest victims were children aged from five to eight. (ANI)
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