Pakistan bans ethnic rights movement PTM in renewed crackdown on public dissent

KARACHI, Pakistan – The Pakistani government on Oct 6 banned an ethnic Pashtun rights movement that has long criticised the country’s powerful military, the latest sign of a renewed crackdown on public dissent and political opposition.

Pakistan’s Interior Ministry said the movement – known as PTM, from words that translate as Pashtun Protection Movement – has been included on the list of proscribed organisations under the country’s anti-terrorism laws, because of its involvement in “certain activities that are prejudicial to the peace and security of the country”.

It provided no further details. The ban, which takes effect immediately, includes the freezing of PTM assets and shuttering of its offices.

While much of the government clampdown on dissent has targeted

supporters of imprisoned former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan

, analysts say the move to ban PTM suggests that the military – long seen as the invisible hand guiding Pakistan’s politics – is expanding the scope of its efforts to squash dissent and enhance the legitimacy of the coalition government, led by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

His government came to power earlier in 2024 in a general election marked by allegations of vote rigging.

The Pakistani government has struggled to tackle the country’s economic woes and security concerns, which have grown since the Taliban’s takeover of neighbouring Afghanistan in 2021. Terrorist attacks have surged in parts of the country.

The PTM has not issued an official statement regarding the ban. Critics and human rights groups said it signals a growing crackdown on dissent in Pakistan.

“This extreme decision was neither transparent nor warranted,” said the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, an independent watchdog, in a statement. It said the PTM had never resorted to violence and had always used the framework of the country’s constitution to advocate its cause.

PTM chief Manzoor Pashteen said on Oct 5 that more than 200 of the movement’s organisers have been arrested across the province since Oct 3.