Pashtuns in Australia have held demonstrations in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide to voice their opposition to the arrest of Manzoor Pashteen, a prominent rights activist for Pakistan’s Pashtun minority.
He was detained during a police raid in the city of Peshawar in late January.
Pashteen has become the figurehead of a growing non-violent movement against extrajudicial killings of ethnic Pashtuns by Pakistani authorities.
The 25 years old started the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), a group popular in the country's Pashtun dominated tribal areas, which calls for an end to discrimination.
Manzoor Pashteen, wearing what's become his trademark red and black embroidered cap.
His arrest on criminal conspiracy and sedition charges has sparked backlash from the PTM movement who called for protests not only in Pakistan, but across the globe.
Demonstrations calling for his release have been held In Washington, Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam and Malmo.
Pashtun man Miqdad Hussain took part in the protest at Sydney's Martin Place on Thursday.
He said the release of Pashteen was of the utmost importance.
“The more Pashtuns get hit, the more it becomes stronger," he said. "Pashteen’s arrest sends a message to the world that he stood up for justice."
Melbourne protest attendee Fayaz Khan said: "This is a testing time for PTM. Following his arrest, we were expecting such difficult moments, but with these difficulties, good times will come for Pashtuns."
Pashteen was speaking at a rally in Bannu moments before his arrest.
A demonstration at Sydney's Martin Place. Source: SBS Pashto
PTM protest in Melbourne Source: Supplied
The rally was the latest in a series across Pakistan by ethnic Pashtuns demanding an end to extrajudicial killings and abductions they blamed on the Pakistani state since its domestic war on terror began in 2003.
Pashteen, dubbed by the west as 'Pakistan's Che Guevara' has become the figurehead of Pakistan’s civil rights movement demanding accountability from the country’s army, which he claims, has been involved in the deaths and disappearances of thousands, possibly tens of thousands, of minority Pashtuns in the remote region of north-western Pakistan.
His arrest has been condemned by Amnesty International, who demanded his immediate release.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani also voiced his support for Pashteen.
During an interview with SBS Pashto previously, Pashteen expressed his desire for the discrimination of the Pashtuns to stop.
"We want the missing persons to be presented to the judiciary,” he said.
"To investigate the extrajudicial killings, we demand the establishment of a truth and reconciliation commission to find out who has done the killings and why they did it? We also demanded the clearance of mines in the FATA region and the end of cruelty in tribal areas.”
He said he was well aware that he was a potential target.
“The threats towards me is there from the first day because the record of the military shows whoever in my area has raised his or her voice for peace, they were killed."
Grassroots beginnings
Pashteen’s grassroots movement ostensibly began only relatively recently but has grown rapidly in Pakistan - started by young men from tribal areas of Pakistan, originating from South Waziristan - previously known as "FATA", one of Pakistan’s seven semi-autonomous Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
The movement initially began in 2014, says veteran Pakistani journalist Rahimullah Yusufzai.
"They were raising the issue of the landmines which were taking a heavy toll on people in South Waziristan because the people were returning home after years of displacement and many people were killed and injured,” Mr Yusufzai said.
"They also wanted to highlight the issue of the problems they were facing at the security checkpoints in South Waziristan."
But it was the of Naqeebullah Mehsud, a 27-year-old tribesman and aspiring model from South Waziristan in 2018, that triggered widespread protests.
Mehsud was killed by Pakistani security forces as part of a raid on alleged militants from the Pakistani Taliban, however, his family said he was simply an aspiring model.
It was then, Mr Yusufzai said, that the movement really began to gather momentum.
"They staged a long march to Peshawar and in Islamabad held a 10-day protest sit-in, and I think since then they have been getting more support from the Pashtun people who felt humiliated at the checkpoints in Swat and other parts of Tribal areas. The leadership then started calling their movement the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement,” he said.
"Some of the issues have been addressed. The number of checkpoints has been reduced. Also, the senior police officer accused of murdering the model, Naqeebullah Mehsud, in Karachi has been arrested. Also, the attitude of police at checkpoints has changed; they're friendlier to people who are crossing. There have been changes; there has been some improvement in the security situation, but the most important issues are the missing persons and that issue is still unresolved.”
That was a claim rejected by Pashteen.
“The Pakistani Army has not accepted our demands, we have asked them to present the missing persons to the judicial, how many have they presented they should show us? We have asked for a commission to investigate extrajudicial killing have they made any - they haven't? We have asked them to clear mines from our areas. We have asked them to stop the oppression in tribal areas, and they still keep killing people.”
Supporters detained
There's concern among the international community about the increasing numbers of PTM activists and supporters being detained.
While the movement says its demands are constitutional and within the parameters of the law, the Pakistani media has nevertheless been criticised for its continued blackout of PTM rallies across the country.
Instead, Pashteen's arrest was covered by overseas media outlets, such as BBC, New York Times, Guardian and Aljazeera.
Supporters of Manzoor Pashteen hold pictures of their missing relatives as they listen to his speech during a gathering in Swat, Pakistan, 29 April 2018. Source: AAP
Mr Yusufzai suggests that the Pakistani establishment is responding aggressively because the leadership of the PTM had been openly critical of the military.
"When you make allegations against the military or against any other organisation, and you don't produce evidence you don't take that to the court then problems arise and that's the reason I think there has been a media blackout," he said.
"This is the first time, and I think that such criticism has been triggered so openly against the Pakistani army."
Source: SBS Pashto
