Pakistani authorities have launched a sweeping crackdown on dissent, breaking up opposition protests with violence and mass arrests, and banning a movement advocating for the rights of the ethnic Pashtun community under terrorism laws. Hundreds of riot police fired tear gas and charged with batons as supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), gathered in Islamabad and Lahore over the weekend.
Dozens of PTI figures, including prominent leaders and lawyers, were arrested and hundreds more were charged under terrorism laws, with Khan himself named in the charges. Khan, who has been held in jail since August 2023 on over 100 charges he claims are politically motivated, saw his supporters demand his release and an independent judiciary. The weekend's events marked a notable escalation of a crackdown that began before February's election, which was marred by allegations of military interference.
Among those arrested was Ali Amin Gandapur, chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, who his party alleged was 'disappeared' for over 24 hours before reappearing in parliament. On Sunday night, the interior ministry announced a ban on the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), a peaceful organisation critical of the military's role in abuses and enforced disappearances in Pashtun-dominated areas. The ministry stated PTM was declared a terrorist organisation due to activities prejudicial to peace and security, a decision condemned by Pakistan's human rights commission as 'neither transparent nor warranted'.
PTM had planned a historic three-day national gathering this week, which PTI and other opposition parties had agreed to join. Hundreds of PTM members have been arrested in recent days, and founder Manzoor Pashteen is in hiding. PTM leader Fida Wazir said the group would challenge the ban in court, expressing hope it would be overturned. The government, a coalition of PML-N and PPP seen as weak and beholden to the military, faces growing economic and security challenges, with militant attacks rising in border areas.
