Pashtun Activist Exposes Alleged Human Rights Abuses in Pakistan

Pashtun political activist Fazal Ur Rehman Afridi has raised grave concerns over persistent human rights violations and state-backed militancy in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Addressing the international community, Afridi accused the Pakistani military of launching false flag operations, purportedly to combat terrorism, while in reality targeting innocent civilians, particularly focusing on Pashtun women and children.

Speaking at the United Nations Human Rights Council, Afridi highlighted the plight of Pashtun civilians, who, he said, suffer from drone strikes and assaults by F-16 fighter jets employed by the Pakistani army. Afridi alleged that the Pakistani government clandestinely reintegrated over 55,000 Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) members and their families into the province, despite publicly staging operations against them.

According to Afridi, these operations are a facade, maintaining that the TTP and the Pakistani military are indistinguishable. "During the day, they wear uniforms; at night, they turn into Taliban," Afridi claimed, insisting that the military actions are designed to safeguard militants rather than eliminate them. Over 40 drone strikes have occurred in the area, he stated, yet no high-profile TTP figures have been neutralized, with civilians enduring the impact.

Afridi alleged the targeted attacks using F-16s and drones are intended to create space for terrorist training camps, subsequently aiding terrorism exportation across the region. He accused the military of systematic exploitation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's natural resources, citing unauthorized seizures for military and commercial purposes, such as cantonments and resorts.

Afridi also decried the alleged extraction and international sale of local resources, including oil, gas, and rare minerals, emphasizing a significant agreement with the United States reportedly made without the indigenous Pashtun people's consent. "Selling our mineral wealth to foreign entities without our approval contravenes both international and Pakistani law," he argued.

(With inputs from agencies.)