Daily Times

As per latest notification of Interior Ministry Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) has been banned amid serious security concerns. In the wake of surging terrorism in bordering areas of KP, banned PTM has been meaningfully vocal against state institutions especially armed forces and LEAs. Reportedly, the group has been fueling ethnic fire out of cross-border terrorism and joined hands with foreign handlers, predominantly Afghan citizens, in orchestrating violent anti-state protests in bordering areas of KP and abroad.

Indian patronization remains a constant factor in ethnic violent separatism everywhere in Pakistan. Besides patronising Afghan based proxies to conduct hardcore terrorist attacks deep inside Pak territory, India has been actively supporting linguistic groups to spread separatist tendencies by fueling hateful sentiments.

The East Pakistan model of exploiting the fault lines always fascinates the trigger happy decision makers in New Delhi. Massive rise of violent linguistic terrorists in Sind during the decade of 80s actually kept Karachi under siege for about three decades. Similar hateful violence was brought into play to disturb the dynamics in Balochistan.

Banned PTM has been used by Indian handlers to sabotage Pakistan’s successes in war against terror.

Time revealed that all such destabilising moves were conceived, financed and executed with massive support of New Delhi. Mysteriously a movement surfaced on the political canvas with a demand of justice for the bereaved family of slain Naqeeb Ullah Mehsood and suddenly transformed into a Pushtoon pressure group. PTM has started playing all notorious tricks to malign the armed forces of Pakistan as it was done in the past by leaders like Mujeeb and Altaf. Unfortunately, just like the past, careless handling of political leadership has provided enough exploitable space to PTM.

A failure or flaw in governance, pointed out by PTM or any other group, should be dealt or rectified by the ruling party. At this moment, PTM’ leadership is over exaggerating the problems of war ridden erstwhile FATA by directly maligning the state institutions. Banned PTM has been used by Indian handlers to sabotage Pakistan’s successes in war against terror.

Surprisingly, so called sympathisers of Pashtuns never uttered a single word on the plight of their community in Afghanistan. Resilient Pushtoon masses are well familiar with treacherous ways of foreign sponsored sub-nationalist jugglers. It is an established fact that politicians perpetuating linguistic hatred always pursue venomous agenda dictated by their foreign masters. People of KP and Balochistan had already been deceived, in the past as well, with hateful linguistic themes.

There had been terrorist training camps and subversion centres on Afghan soil, in the decade of 60 and 70, where Baloch and Pushtoon youth were pushed on the path of violent criminal struggle. Old comrade and an insider Jumma Khan Sufi, in his book titled “Fareb e Na Tamam” has revealed numerous eye opening facts about the treacherous politics of sub-nationalist jugglers. Banned PTM started a propaganda war against armed forces at a time when the Afghanistan based terrorists were playing havoc with the citizens of Pakistan.

Separatist terrorists undertook hard core attacks against armed forces and LEAs in KP and Balochistan which could never be possible without military grade equipment and expertise. Indian national security advisor openly divulged venomous designs to strike Pakistan by hiring terrorists.

Pakistan cannot afford to remain oblivious from this bitter fact that politicians pressing demands for a particular linguistic community are usually proved hand in glove with foreign handlers. Sub-nationalist politicians from Sindh, Balochistan and KPK are no exception to this trend. It was Pandit Nehru who set this dangerous anti-Pakistan course for India, immediately after the partition in 1947.

Heavy investments were made to spread the linguistic hatred among the Bengalis, Balochs, Pushtoons and Sindhis. Right from the outset, the Pushtoon factor was exploited by India through Afghanistan to fan the separatist tendencies against Pakistan. A stable, peaceful and economically prosperous Pakistan is not acceptable to India at any cost.

In order to put Pakistan back on the path of disaster and destabilisation, India has started resurrecting the dead giant of Pushtoon ethnic activism. It wouldn’t be an over statement that banned PTM is a revised edition of Mukti Bahini in KP. Federal government has taken a right step in the right direction by banning the Indian sponsored ethnic group.

Ther writer is a freelance columnist who can be reached at sikandarnoorani@yahoo.com