ISLAMABAD/KABUL – Thousands of protesters have gathered in Pakistani and Afghan cities and towns to voice anger over the detention of an ethnic Pashtun rights activist in Pakistan.
Manzoor Pashteen, the leader of a civic rights group that has criticized the Pakistani military's operations in the northwestern tribal regions, was detained in the city of Peshawar, and a court rejected his bail application on January 28.
The leader of the Pashtun Protection Movement (PTM) is accused of sedition, hate speech, incitement against the state, and criminal conspiracy.
Protesters rallied in Islamabad, Karachi, and in northwestern Pakistan to call for Pashteen’s release. Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir, who are lawmakers and PTM members, were among those detained during the demonstration outside the National Press Club in the capital.
Pashteen’s detention also sparked protests outside the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul, as well as in seven provinces in eastern and southeastern Afghanistan: Nangarhar, Kunar, Logar, Bamyan, Khost, Uruzgan, and Kandahar.
President Ashraf Ghani expressed concerns over Pashteen’s detention and said governments in the region "must support and encourage peaceful civilian movements for justice and must avoid any means of force and violence against these movements."
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry reacted by calling Ghani's comments "a clear interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs and hence, unwarranted."
Human Rights Watch (HRW) also urged Pakistani authorities to release Pashteen and drop the charges against the activist, saying that "using criminal laws to chill free expression and political opposition has no place in a democracy."
The activist had been "arbitrarily detained for exercising his human rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly," according to Amnesty International.
The PTM has campaigned for civil rights for ethnic Pashtuns since 2018. The group has attracted tens of thousands of people out to public rallies to denounce the powerful Pakistani Army's heavy-handed operations in the militancy-hit tribal regions and the military's alleged connection with Islamist militants.
Detention Of Ethnic Pashtun Activist Triggers Protests In Pakistan, Afghanistan
Editor's Picks
Subscribe
Afghanistan/Pakistan Trending
1
Afghanistan, The Only Country Where Images Of Living Things Are Banned
2FBI's Arrest Of Afghan Underscores Growing Threat Of Islamic State-Khorasan
3'The Taliban Likes Facebook': Why The 'Photo Ban' In Afghanistan Won't Work
4Taliban To Impose Media Ban On Images Of Living Things
5Pakistan's Ban On Prominent Civil Rights Group Will 'Alienate' Pashtun Minority
6Afghan Journalists Fear Losing 'Last Remaining' Freedoms
7Taliban Searches Houses In Kabul After Rocket Attack Claimed By Freedom Front
83 Die In Clash Between Taliban, Islamic State-Khorasan In Afghanistan
9This Afghan Family Is Surviving On Leftovers From Neighbors
10Explosion In Kabul Kills 2, Injures Several Others, Says Taliban Source
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.