Pashtun Activist urges UNHRC to act on Pakistan's rights abuses at 59th Session

Geneva [Switzerland], June 26 (ANI): At the 59th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Pashtun activist Fazal-ur-Rehman Afridi expressed deep concerns regarding the persistent human rights violations against the Pashtun community in Pakistan. During discussions on the sidelines of the summit, he emphasised the ongoing military aggression, including drone strikes in the former FATA region as well as in the settled areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He mentioned that more than 40 drone strikes targeted Pashtun populations, causing numerous civilian casualties, particularly among children, women, and the elderly. "We urge the international community to acknowledge these atrocities committed by the Pakistan army against the innocent Pashtun people," he stated.

The activist also highlighted a wider trend of abuses, such as enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, torture, and arbitrary detentions. "In previous mortar shellings, the Pakistani army killed more than five individuals," he asserted.

He condemned the arbitrary detention of leaders from the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), including Samad Khan, Ali Wazir, and Naseer Khan, who he claimed remain imprisoned and are suffering from ongoing torture. "Just today, one person who was forcibly disappeared five years ago by the Pakistani state was found dead, having been extrajudicially killed while in custody," he stated.

He also criticised Pakistan for prohibiting the PTM, the only organisation he referred to as actively fighting for Pashtun human rights, while concurrently engaging in negotiations with militant groups. "They have reinstated the TTP in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and now, in collaboration, the TTP and the Pakistani military are creating a precarious security situation in the region," he alleged.

The activist further accused the Pakistani military of exploiting Pashtun natural resources, asserting, "Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir has sold the natural resources of both the Pashtun and Baloch peoples to the Americans."

Calling for decisive action from the United Nations, he urged the Human Rights Council to address the Pakistani state and send an investigative commission. "It is truly shameful for the international community to witness these human rights violations without taking any measures," he concluded. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)