Pashtun activists hold protest at UN against genocide by Pakistan Army

Mar 03, 2020

Geneva (Switzerland), Mar 03 (ANI): Pashtun activists held a massive demonstration against Pakistan Army's genocide in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA (tribal areas) at the Broken Chair during the ongoing 4rd session of UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. They were holding black and white flags symbolising peace and denouncing terrorism. They also held banners saying "Pakistan Stop Pashtun Genocide" and "Pashtun Nation Wants Justice" while seeking urgent intervention by the UN to save Pashtun identity and their culture. Riaz Peer, a Pashtun activist and demonstrator said, "In the past 40 years there has been no investment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, only investment they have done is they have destroyed the schools and colleges. The language and traditions of Pashtuns have been destroyed". He added, "If you visit Pashtunkhwa, you will not find a single industry. We have been projected as terrorists to the world, where as terrorism is being organised from Punjab. They are brainwashing them and leading us towards destruction". Recently, Pakistan Army arrested PTM leader Manzoor Pashteen for raising issues of Pashtun people. He was later released after massive demonstrations by the activists the world over. Fazal-ul-Afridi, an activist of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) from France said, "It's through PTM, we have raised the issue of Pashtun genocide. Earlier, people were thinking that Pashtun are terrorists but now we have shown the bright face of Pashtun people to the world. This genocide started 40 years ago and Pakistan agencies and military have been killing the Pashtun Afghans for the past 40 years. But, in the last 20 years in the so called war on terror the way Pakistan military has killed the Pashtuns in the tribal belt it is unprecedented." He added, "The genocide of Pashtuns not only physically is continuing but they are killing our culture, our traditions and language also."Afridi said, "Ehsaan-Ullah Ahsan, a well known terrorist who has accepted the massacre of Pashtun children in 2014 and after that the Malala attack was also accepted by this spokesperson of the Taliban and he was kept like a royal guest in the military Cantonment of the Pakistan military and now he has been released. So, PTM will raise this issue at all international levels as why this terrorist kept like a guest and now he has been released." Shahi Sadat, PTM activist from California said, "We tell to the international community that we don't have enemy. Our enemy is the one who kill us. We have nothing against any religion, any ethnic groups or any country. But the one who killing us, killing our children. We are here to tell the state and Pakistan military to stop supporting terrorism, to stop brainwashing our children and to stop destroying our culture, identity and stop staring our natural resources."