Pashtun National Jirga: Pak establishment intensifies crackdown to suppress Pashtun rights

As the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) prepares for the historic Pashtun National Jirga (Court), scheduled for October 11, 2024, the Pakistani state has unleashed a brutal and systematic crackdown to obstruct this peaceful assembly. The state’s repression, led by intelligence agencies and security forces, has escalated in recent weeks, with repeated attempts to sabotage the gathering through violence, intimidation and illegal arrests.

The Pashtun National Court, organised by the PTM, is set to address the long-standing grievances of the Pashtun people, including extrajudicial killings, land grabs by the Pakistani establishment, and the destabilising impact of state-sponsored terrorism and proxy wars. However, the Pakistani state views this Jirga as a direct threat to its interests, which include maintaining control over Pashtun lands and natural resources and using Pashtun areas as battlegrounds for proxy conflicts.

STATE-SANCTIONED INTIMIDATION

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In recent days, the Pakistani police and security agencies have attacked the Jirga site on four separate occasions, with the aim of disrupting preparations and terrorising PTM volunteers. Tents were burned, facilities were stolen, and unarmed volunteers were fired upon three times during the night.

These attacks have left many injured, but the volunteers remain steadfast in their determination to bring the Pashtun National Court to fruition.

This violent intimidation is part of a broader pattern of state repression against the Pashtun people. In Mirali, Waziristan, the Pakistani state burned a market full of livestock in a similarly ruthless operation. These actions are designed to instil fear and undermine the PTM’s efforts to address the root causes of violence in Pashtun territories.

STRUGGLE FOR SELFDETERMINATION

Through the Pashtun National Court, the Pashtuns are seeking the right to self-determination and control over their natural resources, which are currently monopolised by the Punjabi-dominated state apparatus. The Jirga represents a significant challenge to Pakistan’s establishment, which has long sought to use Pashtun lands as staging grounds for proxy wars that serve its geopolitical interests, particularly through the funding of state-sponsored terrorism and destabilising activities in Afghanistan.

The Pashtun National Court aims to put an end to these proxy wars and demand accountability for the violence and human rights abuses inflicted on Pashtuns for decades. Historically, Pashtun communities have resolved political and social issues through Jirgas, a deeply respected tradition that the state now seeks to destroy through violence and coercion.

STATE’S FEAR OF PASHTUN UNITY