Amnesty International (AI) has called on Pakistan to immediately revoke the ban on the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM).
The Pakistan government’s ban on PTM and the use of anti-terrorism laws to target activists and peaceful protesters from minority groups was an affront to the rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly, Amnesty International on Wednesday.
On October 6, in a new government notification, the PTM was designated as a ‘proscribed organisation’ by placing it under the First Schedule for ‘List of Proscribed Organisations’ of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.
According to AI, PTM is a grassroots movement peacefully advocating for human rights of Pashtuns, who have long been subjected to harassment and violence by the Pakistani authorities.
“The listing of PTM as a proscribed organisation, days ahead of its gathering scheduled for October 11, is part of a systematic and relentless clampdown by the Pakistani authorities on peaceful protests and assemblies by dissenting groups.
The latest arbitrary ban under over-broad powers of the terror law is only the tip of the iceberg – for years the Pakistani authorities have suppressed such movements from marginalised regions by resorting to unlawful use of force, enforced disappearances and media bans on the coverage of protests or rallies,” said Babu Ram Pant, AI’s deputy regional director for South Asia.
The Pakistan government was asked to immediately do course correction and put an end to the criminalisation of peaceful protests and assemblies.
“It must stop its witch-hunt of dissenting groups on the basis of their ethnicity and reverse their decision designating PTM under the Anti-Terrorism Act, the official added.
sa/mud
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