The Pakhtun protests

In the month since the Pakhtun Long March began in Islamabad on January 26 it has become a model of peaceful protest. Young Mehsud tribesmen from South Waziristan have presented a list of basic demands without resorting to the violence that has categorised other protests in the capital city. They have called for the arrest of Rao Anwar and others involved in the extra-judicial murder of Naqeebullah Mehsud, the removal of landmines in Fata, the recovery of ‘missing’ persons and an end to the regular imposition of curfews in Fata. All these demands are perfectly reasonable and there was no reason for the government not to immediately accept them. The best that can be said for the government is that at least some action has been taken, with reports of mines being removed and a fraction of the ‘missing’ people being released. Whatever progress has been made is entirely due to the efforts of the protesters in the face of indifference and outright hostility from most political parties and the media. The Pakhtun protest has been essentially blacked out on mainstream media. But the perseverance and social media savvy of the organisers meant that ignoring them was not an option. It was then that a portion of the coverage turned nasty, indulging in the worst stereotypes about Pakhtuns and terming them anti-state.

There is still much more the government needs to do to meet the demands of the protesters. It is a national scandal that Rao Anwar still remains at large. The notorious cop has long believed to enjoy the patronage of powerful forces. It defies belief that he could evade capture for so long, creating the impression that this patronage is still being extended to the encounter specialist. The government’s Fata reforms have stalled. The repeal of the draconian and archaic colonial-era Frontier Crimes Regulation and the merger of Fata and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa needs to be an immediate priority. The one thing we can be sure of is that the brave protesters will not give up until they have secured the rights of their people. Already they have been an inspiration to many, as similar protests have sprung up in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The political empowerment of the tribal community, which has suffered untold discrimination under the guise of the war against militancy, has been inspiring to watch.