ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR - Days after the federal government banned the ‘Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi Wednesday warned the proscribed organisation against organising its planned ‘Pashtun Qaumi Jirga’ in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Addressing a press conference here at the Ministry of Interior, the country’s security czar said organising the jirga, also known as Pashtun Qaumi Adalat, was not acceptable for the federal government as a parallel judicial system couldn’t be permitted in the country at any cost.
“On the one hand, the gathering is being referred to as a jirga and on the other hand, it is being referred to as a court,” he said.
The development came after the banned PTM went ahead with its planned three-day grand jirga, scheduled to be held in the Khyber district of KP on October 11, despite facing proscription. The federal government proscribed the KP-based group on October 6, citing threats to national peace and security.
A day earlier, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government prohibited its officials from engaging with the jirga.
Interior Minister Naqvi said they had no objection over holding a jirga. “Jirgas have been held before in KP and will continue being held, which are actually represented by elders,” he said. But holding a gathering of thousands of people is not a jirga, he added, warning the organizers to refrain from taking such an action.
He noted one of the major reasons for banning PTM was its alleged rhetoric against state institutions and the police. “You talk about dividing the nation by promoting ethnicity,” he said, referring that anyone should see the social media to check the “hard language” being used by its leadership.
“You cannot be permitted to turn the nation against the institution.”
Naqvi said the government knew that leaders from at least two major political parties had met with PTM leadership and expressed solidarity on the issue of rights. But they had made it clear that they don’t stand by it if the PTM talks about taking up arms, he added
“This cannot happen if you continue to slander the state for the last many years but the government remains silent,” he said, adding that the federal government was also ready to talk with anyone on the issue of human rights.
After banning the PTM by the federal government, the minister said, the KP government placed its 54 activists on the Fourth Schedule and Balochistan placed 34.
Including a name in the Fourth Schedule under the Anti-Terrorism Act means the person concerned faces restrictions including blockage of passport and national identity card leading to ban on travelling abroad, freezing of bank accounts and arms license embargo.
Naqvi recalled that the federal and provincial governments were bound by the law to seal offices of proscribed organizations.
He warned of dire consequences whoever assists the banned PTM in any way, saying anyone found involved helping them out will also face sanctions that are meant for those people proscribed under the Fourth Schedule.
The minister accused the PTM of getting foreign funding and added that he would soon make public the evidence in this regard. He said documentaries linked to the banned organization were shot by India-based companies with the help of external funding.
“Whoever is behind you, we have a clear message for them that if you try to create chaos in our country, then we will not spare you,” he said without naming anyone but indicating towards India.
Meanwhile, a two-member bench of Peshawar High Court (PHC) Wednesday restrained the banned PTM from holding “Pashtun Qaumi Adalat” on disputed land, while directed the police to take action to maintain law and order. The PHC bench was consisting of Justice Attiq Shah and Justice Sahibzada Asadullah.
The court issued a stay order to stop the event on the disputed land and adjourned the case till October 15.
Earlier, the Additional Attorney General told the court that PTM was declared banned party by the federal government and every activity of PTM was prohibited under the law.
He said that action by law enforcement agencies against any banned organization was legally permissible, adding that the land being used for the Pashtun National Court was also disputed.
It is pertinent to mention here that a resident of district Khyber had moved PHC challenging the PTM’s jirga scheduled for October 11 in district Khyber.
The petitioner Khateer Ullah, listed the federal government, provincial government, Inspector General of Police (IGP), and PTM leader Manzoor Ahmad Pashteen as respondents.
In his petition, he argued that following the constitutional amendment, all tribal districts had been merged in KP and followed the law of land. He said that in such a situation holding “Pashtun Qaumi Adalat” a national court was unconstitutional. The petitioner sought a stay order on the illegal jirga until a final decision was reached.