As the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) continues to challenge Pakistan’s most powerful institution- the military, its supporters have protested in Canada, the United States, Denmark, Germany, and the United Kingdom against policies of war in the Pashtun region. However, in their own country, the State’s intelligence apparatus and security agencies have done everything possible to block the movement’s way especially in Karachi, as the institutions surpassed the limits of censorship and banned PTM from being heard.

The airlines cancelled Manzoor Pashteen’s booking, both from Islamabad and Lahore to Karachi. The police in Punjab and Rangers in Sindh stopped him hundreds of times on the way. They disrespected, harassed the members of PTM. The Police in Okara, Punjab, confiscated Pashteen’s bag and personal belongings. They detained Pashteen and his friends and it took them forty hours to reach Karachi: A journey that should not take more than two hours by air and approximately twenty by road.

In Karachi, Rangers had imposed their reign of terror. They detained members of PTM and terrified the locals from attending the rally. They forced PTM to change the venue of the gathering from Jinnah Park to Sohrab Goth. Rangers then surrounded the area of the demonstration. They blocked people from joining the rally, but supporters showed up in thousands anyway. The Rangers must have realized that Manzoor Pashteen has broken the spiral of cold fear. The collective grief of the protestors and their ensuing unity and steadfastness were unprecedented. Such integration, with every passing moment of the movement, only further eliminates remaining fear.

The authorities against the movement continued to threaten those who rented chairs to PTM. After receiving threatening calls, business owners took their chairs back. The same happened to businesses which provided the sound system and lightning and those which supply water. In Pashteen’s words, they threatened the businessmen that if they cooperated with PTM, the agencies would kill them in a way that they would not be able to find their dead bodies. But these tactics did not budge PTM and its supporters an inch from their tenacity for successfully holding the protest.

From this experience, one thing is even more crystal clear: In Pakistan, ethnic politics for one’s legitimate rights are considered profane

PTM won in the end, at least for now, despite all hurdles, as its gathering was in thousands which included the Baloch, Mohajir and Sindhis besides Pashtuns. But what leaves one disgruntled is the bigotry of the State and political parties. Despite the fact that Manzoor Pashteen traversed forty hours of hardships, no leader of a major political party in Sindh welcomed him. No one from Punjab’s political leadership gave him even a false hope after the unforgettable ordeal. To expect anything from the corporatist media after its shameless blackout of the most significant civil rights movement in the country’s history is useless.

From this experience, one thing is even more crystal clear: In Pakistan, ethnic politics for one’s legitimate rights are profane. Who else other than the Baloch and before them the Bengalis can demonstrate it well? Since PTM is a Pashtun nationalist movement, it has once again stirred the deep State’s fears of ‘threat’ to ‘national integrity.’ Although, it is fundamentally an anti-war campaign on Pashtun lands, PTM gives voice to the many other grievances of Pashtuns in Pakistan. Its discourse for Pashtun’s rights is likely to expand to other more significant questions, although the movement’s focus, for now, is on accountability of the military for the war and violent and lawless murders in their region.

One must admit that despite all difficulties, Pashteen and his comrades’ tolerance has been admirable. The endurance and patience of the crowd at every rally, especially in Karachi, have been rather commendable because unlike leadership, ordinary people are not usually in the best control of their emotions in big gatherings. They have shown, as Marcus Aurelius, the Greek emperor and intellectual giant once wrote, “the best revenge is not to be like your enemy.”

However, the State needs to understand that it has to give up cowardly acts of mindless thuggery. It cannot bend PTM and disgruntled Pashtuns into submission by fear anymore. As a recent Chilean protest sign read, “they took away so much that they also took away our fear.” Pushing Pashteen further up against the wall could portend grave consequences, as young blood can exercise only so much restraint. If State oppression continues unabated, it may lead the country to further fragmentation and possible conflict. Subsequently, the unity of armed forces and other security agencies, and Pakistan itself may remain a dream because disintegration and defections are after all not uncommon. Thus, the onus is on the State to show that it cares about the grievances of its citizens and Pakistan’s unity.

The writer is Lecturer, Department of English, Rutgers University, USA. He can be reached at aslam@sandiego.edu aslam.kakar@rutgers.edu

Published in Daily Times, May 23rd 2018.