Daily Times

Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) playing in the hands of Indian secret agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS), both hostile agencies, is no secret now. Initially launched as ‘Mehsud Tahaffuz Movement’ in May 2014 by eight students at Gomal University as an initiative for removing landmines from Waziristan (especially Mehsud territory) and other tribal areas affected by the war on terrorism, the group has ended up a tool in the hands of the enemies of Pakistan to spread chaos and stoke hatred against state institutions in the country. These days, the PTM – founded by Manzoor Pashteen and supported by MNAs Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir – exactly follows the same agenda as was followed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP): wreaking havoc and undermining Pakistan’s armed forces – especially their efforts in the war against terrorism – through unfounded anti-state propaganda.

The real intent of PTM has once again stood exposed as they have baselessly blamed Pakistan’s ar med forced for murder of their activist Dr Sadiqullah Wazir, who was reportedly abducted by Afghan Taliban and later his body was found dumped in Bairmal area of South Waziristan. On the behest of hostile agencies, the PTM immediately launched a propaganda campaign on social media against Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies, accusing them of orchestrating the murder.

As a matter of fact, the PTM spares no opportunity to try to undermine Pakistan’s national institutions. Very recently, the so-called Pashtun rights group was found involved in not only misleading the public about the threat posed by coronavirus pandemic but also undermining government’s coordinated and strenuous efforts to contain the deadly virus in the country. In a video that went viral on social media, PTM’s Mohsin Dawar, while surrounded by villagers, appeared to be downplaying the serious threat of coronavirus. In the video, Dawar could also be seen telling the villagers that coronavirus was ‘nothing’ and that it was ‘just a way to earn dollars by the army’. MNA Ali Wazir, another leader of the PTM, also tried to create chaos when he termed the shifting of virus-affected individuals to Dera Ismail Khan and Chaman a ‘conspiracy against Pashtuns’.

The recent invitation to PTM MNAs to the oath taking ceremony of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and the special protocol given to them by the Afghan Army also raised many an eyebrow. In an intriguing move, Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir were taken by an Afghan National Army helicopter from Pak-Afgan border crossing to Kabul to attend the oath taking ceremony, giving credence to the reports of a nexus between the group and elements in the Afghan government. “Finally Reached Kabul! Wanted to express my gratitude to President @ashrafghani for delaying his oath taking for the arrival of @Aliwazirna50 and myself. Overwhelmed by the welcome we have received here. Wishing a peaceful future for Afghanistan and the region,” Dawar had said in a Twitter post shortly after reaching Kabul. In his tweet, Dawar had himself admitted that Ghani’s oath-taking ceremony was held up due to a delay in their arrival to the presidential palace. Before reaching Kabul, both PTM leaders had also briefly visited ‘officials’ in eastern Nangarhar province. They had also held a meeting with former chief of NDS Amrullah Saleh, who is famous for his anti-Pakistan stance.

A careful look at the activities of the PTM leaders makes it apparent that Dawar has been assigned the responsibility of addressing the foreign front and he has been continuously trying to instigate the Pashtun diaspora, while Wazir is holding the Afghan front and is in continuous touch with the PTM’s Afghan supporters.

However, things have started to change now. With each passing day, a narrative is getting stronger in Waziristan that the PTM has ‘used’ the Pashtun people for their vested interests and that the group never intended to fight for the rights of the Pashtuns. In several video clips recently went viral on social media, angry Pashtuns can be heard hurling abuses at Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir over what they called the latter’s ‘anti-state activities’ and ‘using’ Pashtun people for their personal agenda. “We thought you [PTM] have come out for rights of Pashtun people … but you are in fact an agent of NDS. You have sold your own Pashtuns at the hands of Afghans,” an angry protester is heard saying in one of such video clips. While burning PTM caps, the Pashtuns can also be heard in the videos demanding that the government register treason cases against Dawar and Wazir and put them behind bars.

The insurgency in Balochistan has also been considered to have its links with NDS, which also enjoys covert support from RAW. It is believed that these hostile agencies have been supporting the Baloch sub-nationalist groups as part of their agenda to sabotage China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Pakistan’s armed forces are very much vigilant and aware of the agenda of these anti-Pakistan forces. RAW and NDS are trying gimmicks and tricks in their losing battle and the resurrection of the PTM bogey is a last-ditch effort by them. However, despite all this foreign funding and international support, the PTM has not been able to bluff the people of erstwhile FATA or Pashtuns residing in KP and Balochistan. And, the end is not too far.