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The Pashtun Long March sit-in in the capital of Islamabad
  • the Pashtun Long March sit-in
    the Pashtun Long March sit-in
The stories narrating from the stage of the Pashtun Long March in Islamabad are presented through the shared stage by the Pashtuns from Waziristan to Quetta, Swat, Bannu and Peshawar. The youths from Waziristan had earlier called for the long march to Islamabad the capital city was actually aimed to defuse mines that are spread across Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

The new spin came in the story, when the young Mehsud clan youth Naqeebullah aka Naseemullah was killed and allegedly named being the Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan commander from Makin [South Waziristan">.

The Pakistani News Paper DAWN reported through the family source of Naqeebullah Mehsud’s family that the “plain cloth” men had took away in the start of January.

When the dead body of Naqeebullah Mehsud was received with the signs of torture the family and cast members knowing about the activities of Naqeeb called upon fellow Pashtuns to agitate and block the superhighway of Sindh.

The deceased had his own social media account and the photos with social media hashtag #JusticeForNaqeeb made their way and the incident got momentum after every passing hour. Though the Sindh government launched inquiry of the senior police officer Rao Anwar. But the anger went across the Pashtun ethnic group who are a major ethnic group of the country.

The stories of fake encounter by the Sindh Police officer Rao Anwar who is well known for his encounters and sometimes got laud from the political corners of the country.

Though, Anwar laid down allegations and put forward his written claims which about Naqeeb’s family member, marital life and activities with Taliban were all counter checked and none matched to be real.

This angered the youths from across the Pashtun areas as it is not the first fake encounter by Rao Anwar, many Pashtuns have been killed and labelled “terrorists” in the same way. And the Long March for demining FATA broadened its agendas that now include the justice for Naqeeb Mehsud, the investigation of Rao Anwar and punishment for him after a fair trial. The protestors also demanded all the victims of fake police encounter in Pakistan should be investigated. Their agenda include, that all the missing persons in different operations should be brought before the justice and they have asked fair judicial trail for these missing persons, those guilty would face punishment the rest innocent should get release. They have demanded that after any incident the civilian population across their villages should not be punished as a whole because of the wrongs of a single or a group of people. The civilian limbs imputed in mines are crossing “78 people” alone from the Mehsud cast in Waziristan, the gathering call upon government to defuse all the mines spread across FATA and rest of the regions.

The Pashtun leadership has attended the Long March:

Talking to the gathering in Islamabad parliamentarian Maulana Fazal ur Rehman who is the leader of Jamiat e Ulema Islam Pakistan, a religious party in coalition with federal government of Pakistan told the gathering that he’s endorsing all of the demands put forward by the Pashtun fellows from across the country and in particular the people of FATA. “Our elders have taught us to be on the side of innocent people, `tribal` are the backbone of Pakistan's defense, we are always with `tribals` we are out if it's Rao Anwar or anyone else we can't let them kill innocent people” he told.

While meeting the in grieved father of Naqeeb Mehsud, another Pashtun nationalist leader and member of the Pakistan’s National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai, who lead Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party told that Pashtun are portrayed that if every person practicing beard and tying the turban [a Pashtun traditional wear on head"> as terrorist and extremist. Though, Pashtun are the victims of terrorism and extremism, they’re faced by the double edge sword, both killed and blamed, he told. “Even in Karachi, the Mehsud caste traders are asked by the officials either pay us or you will be including in the Al-Qaeda terrorist list”, says Mahmood Khan Achakzai.

Awami National Party’s chief Asfandyar Wali Khan in his speech endorsed all the agendas put forward by the Pashtun Long March participants. “Missing persons whose no whereabouts are known, I am endorsing this demand of Pashtun Long March they [the missing persons"> should be presented to the court, it's only the Pig [Rao Anwar"> who's killed people in fake encounters” he told.

The Qaumi Watan Party’s President Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao addressed the gathering and vowed to be supporting the Pashtun Long March as their issues are genuine and Pashtuns are faced by these issues across the country.

The right wing leaders of Jamat e Islami Pakistan Senator Siraj ul Haq, visited the camp and told about his support for the justice of Naqeeb Mehsud, the missing persons, the mines, the extra judicial killing in fake encounters.

A lady had come from faraway for the Pashtun Long March to ask the support of the participants as she had lost her “two sons in fake encounter, and two others are missing now for years”.

While another advocate Fazal Khan who’s one of the father of the Army Public School incident, that was claimed by Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan and killed more than 132 school going children and the staff members told the gathering “the killer of our children, Ehsanullah Ehsan is considered a guest, while we are yet not given justice, neither a commission made to investigate the brutal death of our children”.

One of the activist from Khyber Pakshtunkhwa Dr. Saidalam Mehsud is of the view that the racial profiling of Pashtun by the media and some institutions of Pakistan is taking Pashtun nation to the worse situation they are faced by. He also condemned the attitude of Pakistani media for not giving coverage to the Pashtuns gathered in Islamabad.

The social media accounts have kept the #PashtunLongMarch hashtag on twitter and facebook, which attracted international media organization to cover the ongoing agitation by the Pashtuns from across the country.

Though, none of the Pakistan government officials have met the Pashtun Long March participants to assure the gathering till these lines are written.
Malik Achakzai
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