ISLAMABAD   -  The federal government on Sunday banned the Manzoor Pashteen-led Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) citing ‘risk to peace and security’.

The Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition government issued a notification in this regard. “The federal government having reasons to believe that the PTM is engaged in certain activities prejudicial to peace and security of the country [...] is pleased to list the PTM in the First Schedule as a proscribed organisation,” read the notification issued by the Ministry of Interior. The ban has been slapped under Section 11B of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.

The development comes as the country is facing a rather volatile political and security situation amid a surge in terrorist attacks in parts of the country.

A day earlier, a Pakistan Army lieutenant colonel was among 13 soldiers who embraced martyrdom in two separate incidents.

The attack came amid a surge in terror incidents with total fatalities from three-quarters of the ongoing year surpassing the total fatalities recorded for the entire 2023 as reflected in the data gathered by the Centre for Research and Security Studies. In 2022, Pashteen was booked on terrorism charges, following his speech at the Asma Jahangir Conference where he had criticised the country’s armed forces.