In a surprising move, Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) leaders Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir were on Monday taken by an Afghan National Army helicopter from Pak-Afgan border crossing to Kabul to attend the oath-taking ceremony of President Ashraf Ghani, giving more credence to the reports of a ‘nexus’ between the group, which openly challenges writ of the state in Pakistan, and elements in the Afghan government.
Prime Minister Imran Khan had on Sunday given one-time permission to the two Pashtun legislators to attend the oath-taking ceremony of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, after the FIA stopped them from flying to Kabul for being on the ECL.
“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 said in a Twitter post shortly after reaching Kabul via an Afghan army helicopter from Torkham gate. Before reaching Kabul, they also briefly visited ‘officials’ in eastern Nangarhar province, according to Afghan media.
Since its creation in 2014, the PTM has been found involved in anti-Pakistan and anti-army activities, even taking out rallies in tribal areas with participants chanting anti-army slogans and asking for taking revenge on the army. The entire political narrative of the PTM is currently centered on Pakistan Army. The bottom line of such narrative is that the army, as an institution, is persecuting the Pashtun population. Ironically, the PTM leaders have not been having any trouble with the Taliban and other miscreants. As a matter of fact, the socioeconomic uplift of the downtrodden and disturbed Pashtuns in the conflict-hit areas has also never been a PTM’s priority. Therefore, it is believed that the real agenda of the PTM is defaming, disgracing, and discrediting Pakistan Army rather than protecting the Pashtun rights. And for this specific purpose, PTM leaders are reportedly being funded and sponsored by Pakistan’s adversaries.
At a press conference last year, former director general of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor had dared the PTM leadership to answer some pertinent questions. Here they are:
* How much funds have you collected in donations from abroad, isn’t it more than what you have shown on the website?
* How much funds NDS provided you to continue the sit-in on March 22, 2018?
* Islamabad sit-in: How much funds RAW provided you?
* Who was Manzoor Pashteen’s relative who went to the Indian consulate, Kandahar? And how much funds were provided to them?
* How much in funds did the Indian consulate in Jalalabad provide to you?
* How many dollars did Indian diplomats give to you in May 2018?
* How much funds did NDS provide to you for Arman Luni’s funeral?
* What do you mean by Lar-o-Bar?
* Why did Mashal Khan Takkar come to Kabul from Canada?
* What is your connection with Baloch separatists?
* In what capacity did the PTM say it will receive SP Tahir Dawar’s body?
* What constitution allows you to go to Afghanistan by force to take the body?
* Why is any person who speaks for the Pakistan Army killed immediately?
* Why does TTP’s Mufti Noor Wali say PTM and TTP are the same? How do you share the narrative with them?
Interestingly, the PTM has utterly failed to answer even a single question so far despite lapse of so many months.