All set for Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement rally in Peshawar today

PESHAWAR: The activists of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) have completed preparations for the rally in the provincial capital today.

The PTM activists visited bazaars, colleges, villages and informed people about the event. They have carried out a rigorous campaign on social media and held corner meetings in several parts of Peshawar.

Female members of the movement visited homes and held meetings with women to convince them to attend the rally. The female members of the movement also helped in making the banners. Some activists have uploaded pictures on social media showing the women who were sewing the banners.

Talking to The News, PTM activist Gul Marjan said that the workers and second and third tier leadership of all political parties in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been actively participating in the arrangements.

He said that the PTM would continue efforts for solving the problems faced by Pakhtuns in Pakistan. He said that despite announcement, no change in attitude at checkposts had been noted that showed the government functionaries’ apathy towards Pakhtuns.

The PTM had not given up the idea of holding a massive sit-in in Islamabad, he added.

However, he said that before going to Islamabad, they would hold rallies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata to inform maximum number of Pakhtuns about the problems.

The PTM activists said that they had prepared a list of 7,000 missing persons. “Nobody had realised that the settled areas would have such a huge number of missing persons. They were afraid to speak about their missing relatives. Now people are contacting us,” he added.

Another activist, Bilal Mandokhel, said that they were very optimistic about the participation of women in the Peshawar rally. “Women from Balochistan have also arrived for the rally,” he added. He said the government had not accepted their demands in the way that was promised to them.

“We have raised the public issues and Pashtuns in every sector are supporting us. Those doing propaganda against us can neither frighten us nor can they diminish our support among the Pashtun population who have suffered much during the last more than a decade,” he added.