State and the PTM

Both the Senate and the PM agree to the PTM’s grievances that the Pashtuns have paid the price for militancy

Dialogue is the process that democratic states prefer. First it was the Senate that stepped out to engage the PTM, a local rights movement that has developed rebellious tendencies, evident from the toxic anti-state narrative projected by its leaders — through foreign media outlets as well. A special committee of senators offered the platform of the Upper House to PTM leaders, assuring them that the legislature may be the best place for them to seek redressal of their complaints. Following up on the Senate’s initiative, Prime Minister Imran Khan came out with the intent to soothe the voice of dissent that was first heard after the extrajudicial killing of a tribal youth in January last year to soon culminate into what is portrayed as a movement for Pashtun rights. The PM’s reassuring speech in Orakzai agency a couple of days back was a clear conciliation offer — an olive branch held out to Manzoor Pashteen, the PTM leader.

Both the Senate and the PM agree to the PTM’s grievances that the Pashtuns have paid and continue to pay the price for militancy that once plagued the tribal regions — in the form of unmet promises about proper rehabilitation of the displaced persons, presence of landmines in and around their abode and a significant number of cases of missing persons. The pacification approach adopted by the elected lot, more significantly by the PM, is a genuine sign of the seriousness of the state to allay the concerns of the PTM.

But with the reconciliation offers going unheard, it was indeed time for the state to pay due attention to what was hitherto ignored as a momentary mischief of a few misguided countrymen acting out of the feeling of being ignored. Thus came the warning from the ISPR that the PTM’s ‘time is up’, alongside a point to note that it is not the PTM’s demands that they disagree to but the manner adopted by them to raise their grievances. Now that the PTM has attracted the state’s attention, it’s time for its leaders to understand that the tone and tenor of their arguments is neither in the interest of the tribal areas nor the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 1^st, 2019.

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