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Pashtun human rights defender Fazlur Rahman Afridi, speaking on the sidelines of the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), has accused Pakistan's military establishment of carrying out widespread human rights violations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Afridi claimed that civilians are increasingly bearing the brunt of military operations and cross-border tensions in the region. He alleged that Pakistan has conducted thousands of military operations in Pashtun regions over the years, resulting in civilian casualties, enforced disappearances, and mass displacement. Afridi said the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has worsened in recent months due to escalating tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan's Taliban authorities. According to him, Pakistan has carried out strikes across the Afghan border, which he described as a violation of international law. He claimed that such attacks have often resulted in civilian deaths. "When these incidents occur, retaliation often follows, and Pashtun-populated areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa become the target," Afridi said, adding that Pashtun communities living on both sides of the Durand Line are suffering the consequences of the conflict. The activist also raised alarm over what he described as a significant rise in enforced disappearances of Pashtun and Baloch individuals. "It's actually the genocide of the Pashtun people, which has been continuing for the last 80 years of the existence of Pakistan," he stated. According to him, individuals who are forcibly disappeared are often detained in interrogation centres allegedly run by Pakistan's intelligence agencies and the military. He claimed that detainees are frequently subjected to torture and, in many cases, never return to their families. Afridi called on the United Nations and international human rights organisations to investigate the alleged abuses and ensure accountability for those responsible. He stated that Pakistan's powerful military establishment must be held accountable if human rights violations are to end. He also criticised the Action in Aid of Civil Power Ordinance, arguing that it grants the military sweeping powers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and undermines fundamental civil liberties. Afridi urged Pakistan's government, judiciary, and parliament to repeal the ordinance. "Pakistan should be held accountable for these war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa," he stated. (ANI)
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