Daily Times

Amnesty International on Tuesday called on Pakistani authorities to revoke the ban on the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), calling it “an affront on the rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly in the country.”

On Sunday, the federal government imposed a ban on the PTM, citing threats to national peace and security.

“The listing of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement as a proscribed organisation, days ahead of their gathering scheduled on 11 October, is part of a systematic and relentless clampdown by the Pakistani authorities on peaceful protests and assemblies by dissenting groups,” Amnesty International said in a statement. The move comes in the lead-up to the PTM-initiated Pashtoon Qaumi Jirga, scheduled for October 11.

Meanwhile, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said on Tuesday that the PTM was declared a proscribed entity for its involvement in anti-state activities, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.

Speaking to the media in Islamabad, he said PTM was involved in burning Pakistan’s flags, attacking the country’s foreign missions, and accepting foreign funding. He said the party had also “maintained close coordination with terrorist organisations like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan.”