A Call for Peace

PTM has tenaciously been pushing its ‘peace agenda’, attracting thousands of people in its rallies

Peshawar: Many voices for the restoration of peace and protection of police and civilians are echoing in the width and breadth of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after the recent deadly terrorist attack in Peshawar, but the nationalist Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) appears most vocal in demanding the government to take the issue of deteriorating law and order seriously.

The PTM, led by Manzoor Pashteen, held a two-day Peshawar Ulasi Pasoon (Peshawar Mass Uprising), a peaceful protest last weekend along with the nationalist Awami National Party (ANP), the National Democratic Movement (NDM), the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP) and several human rights organisations to demand peace in the troubled province.

Speakers from different political and professional backgrounds highlighted the increasing number of terrorist attacks against civilians and the police and security forces alike. They also stressed the urgent need for the restoration of peace in the region, besides urging for sincere and serious actions against terrorists.

The trend of Ulasi Pasoon by the PTM and two other main participants the ANP and Mohsin Dawar-led NDM began on August 8, two days after a targeted terrorist attack on the life of a former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) member of the provincial assembly from Dir Lower, Malik Liaquat Ali Khan in his constituency. A second, much larger similar protest in Dir on August 16 was followed by one in Bajaur tribal district before the focus turned to Swat, where some members of the outlawed terrorist group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) briefly threatened the hard-earned peace in the picturesque district the same month.

The PTM and the NDM have long been struggling to raise awareness for the peace cause, at times getting on the wrong side of the successive governments. Founded on the basis of working as a non-political movement, the PTM faced a challenge from some of its founding and core members, including a member of the National Assembly from North Waziristan, Mohsin Dawar, who wanted to launch a political drive, comprising educated youth as its bulwark.

The Peshawar rally was attended by thousands of people, demanding peace in the province that suffered for many years before finally getting a sigh of relief, thanks to the sacrifices of thousands of security personnel and many civilians. One highlight of the protest was the participation of the KP police personnel, who came in a small but visible number to listen to Manzoor Pashteen and others in their favour. Some policemen were even seen taking photographs of themselves with the peace and rights activists.

A similar trend was witnessed when the PTM leader visited the Mohmand and Bajaur tribal districts for peaceful protests. PTM supporters and other social media users were quick to share a video clip of on-duty cops welcoming Manzoor Pashteen at a checkpoint at the entrance of Nahqi tunnel in Mohmand tribal district. This was an extraordinary change since Manzoor Pashteen had faced tough times crossing the same checkpoint along with others during his visit to the Mohmand district last year.

Another positive for the PTM in recent weeks has been welcome support from followers of an unlikely ally — the PTI.  The opposition of the leaders and members to the PTM’s stance regarding terrorism is an open secret. However, many local PTI leaders, including former minister of state for communications Murad Saeed, expressed desire to join the PTM gathering in Peshawar. Experts believe that this sudden support for the PTM among the PTI workers and leaders is mainly due to the former’s hardline stance against the security forces, who the PTI see as the reason behind the fall of Imran Khan’s federal government. Similarly, workers of other political parties, including the ANP, PKMAP and the religious Jamaat-e-Islami have also started following and supporting the PTM and Manzoor Pashteen.

Despite a number of founding members parting ways with the PTM since its creation five years ago in February 2018, the movement has kept itself alive. The PTMs leaders continue to keep a clear stance on the core issue of peace, attracting those who suffered at the hand of terrorists or faced hardships as a result of the counter-terrorism actions in different parts of the KP, particularly the tribal districts.

Notably, no political party or its leadership has been able to talk openly against terrorism or highlight the plight of the people. But the PTM leader Manzoor Pashteen and others tenaciously worked on the peace agenda, which has resulted in an increasing number of people buying their narrative. This is why unlike many political leaders from KP who are literally unknown persons in other parts of the country, Manzoor Pashteen is recognised and respected not just in his home province and Balochistan but all over the country.

Another strength of the PTM has been the discipline of its followers, who are mostly educated young men from the tribal districts. These young PTM workers always talk and practice peaceful means of protest. However, some political experts in Peshawar believe that the occasional outrage, mainly anti-security forces chants and slogans by a small portion of the PTM followers is keeping many potential supporters away from joining the PTM cause. They argue that recognizing the sacrifices made by security forces for the restoration of peace in KP and other parts of the country would only increase the popularity of the PTM.