DND Report
After having remained quarantined for over a year, the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leadership has once again come to the surface to pitch hatred in society and spoil the minds of the Pashtun population.
Rejected by the masses and having miserably failed to incite ethnic divide and hate campaigns against the Pakistan Army in the past, the PTM leadership has again targeted the Army, this time, accusing it of drone attacks on children and innocent families, although TTP is accepting responsibility for conducting drone attacks in former FATA areas.
There is a campaign in social media that drone attacks on innocent people have been conducted by security forces. PTM’s latest campaign uses the diction of ‘demilitarized KP’. Outlandishly, PTM, which claims it is against TTP, is using the same diction against Pakistan and the province of Punjab that has been used by TTP and BLA propaganda material. More oddly, PTM is not commenting on TTP-released videos in which TTP showed that it is using drones for attacks. Recently, when some reporters indicated statements of TTP while talking to PTM leadership in Peshawar and asked them to comment, they categorically avoided the question.
The state of Pakistan has provided countless reasons to believe that TTP is part of Indian state-sponsored terrorism against Pakistan. It is pertinent to mention that TTP attacks and protests of PTM have been instantly covered by the Indian social media, such as the ‘defencealerts’ Instagram account. PTM leadership is silent to comment on who is providing this platform, HD videos of TTP attacks, and PTM protests?
Recently, Reuters News Agency reported that TTP has started using commercially acquired quadcopter drones to drop bombs on security forces. The use of such drones, which are powered by four rotors, allows for vertical take-off and landing.
A deliberate look at allegations raised against the Pakistan Army by PTM and PTI Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, one wonders what benefit they will acquire by targeting the Armed Forces when the nation needs unity, cooperation, and brotherhood. PTM is demanding the withdrawal of security forces from the troubled province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly from erstwhile FATA areas. The same demand is coming from PTI leadership. It may have remembered that PTI did not field its candidate against PTM candidate Ali Wazir in the 2018 elections and had a silent seat to seat arrangement with PTM.
The demand for the withdrawal of security forces from troubled areas by PTM and PTI is similar to the demand of Mukti Bahini in East Pakistan when Pakistan was struggling to defeat Indian-sponsored cross-border terrorism in the shape of Mukti Bahini. In former East Pakistan, the Awami League of Mujibur Rehman formed militia units of students, including the Mujib Bahini, the Kader Bahini, and Hemayet Bahini. Consequently, these Bahinis were mingled under the name of “Mukti Bahini,” which launched a civil war against Pakistani forces. Workers of Mukti Bahini were trained in India for launching civil war in former East Pakistan, and here, no Afghan soil is being used for such training and attacks. The Indian network was providing space for Mukti Bahini in the Western media during the late years of 60s till East Pakistan was converted into Bangladesh. Now PTI and PTM are being placed in the western media not only through Indian networking but also through Afghan networking.
Hereunder is an analysis of key points of the situation:
The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) is inciting hatred against the Pakistani Army by alleging that it conducts drone attacks on civilians, particularly targeting children and families. Ground realities suggest that these allegations are unfounded and serve a specific agenda.
PTI and PTM demand the withdrawal of security forces from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Their demands should be reviewed in the backdrop of the fact that there was a tacit alliance between PTM and PTI during the 2018 elections, where PTI did not contest against PTM candidates.
The situation is suggesting a similar pattern of calling for the withdrawal of forces, while neighboring entities (India in 1970-71 and now Afghanistan) could benefit from the destabilization of Pakistan. It is pertinent to mention that Mukti Bahini is historically linked to India’s support during the Bangladeshi Liberation War under ‘Indian Operation Jackpot’.
The text, diction, and language on social media used by PTM’s protests and TTP are synchronized, and the Indian mainstream as well as social media are contributing to a perception of instability in Pakistan. Several Indian writers confirmed in the post-Bangladesh era that Mukti Bahini was instructed to abuse Punjab and Punjabi in its campaign, and PTM, TTP, and BLA are using the same narrative. All three use abusive, provocative, and threatening language against Punjab and Punjabi.
Otherization of Punjabis for Pukhtoon revivalism, one of the many defunct formulae that have failed against Pakistan.
TTP and PTM are two sides of the same coin. One is sabotage, the other is subversion.Interchangeable, complementary and deadly in synergistic effects. pic.twitter.com/ye2puxJzgh
— Fidato (@tequieremos) March 16, 2020
Need for National Cohesion:
A call for national unity is framed as essential in facing external threats and internal divisions, emphasizing that cooperation among different stakeholders is crucial for the stability of the region.
In conclusion, the state of Pakistan should closely monitor domestic political movements, their relationships with militant organizations, and the potential implications of foreign influence on Pakistan. There is a need for a critical view of PTM’s activities while aligning a broader narrative of defending the military’s role in combating terrorism, while warning against divisive politics that could undermine national security.
