The Balochistan government has imposed a 90-day ban on the entry of Manzoor Pashteen, leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), into the region.
According to a notification issued by the Balochistan Home Department on August 22, the ban restricts Pashteen from entering any district in Balochistan from August 22, 2024, to November 20, 2024. The notification stated that the ban was imposed “in the best interest of public peace and security.”
Zubair Shah, a PTM leader in Balochistan, criticized the decision, arguing that it was intended to prevent Pashteen from meeting with leaders in Balochistan ahead of the ‘Pashtun National Jirga’ on October 11. Shah claimed that the ban reflects the state’s panic.
“The state and its institutions are in a state of confusion,” Shah remarked. He added that on October 11, a national decision will be made at the ‘Pashtun National Jirga’ regarding what he described as 77 years of “oppression, coercion, and exploitation faced by the Pashtun nation.”