PTM Vienna Protest Condemns Pakistani Military Operation
On 8 July 2024, PTM members, supporters, and sympathizers in Vienna protested against the brutal suppression of Pashtuns by the Pakistani state. Photo by @Ali Ahmad for ADN
On July 8th, Pashtun Tahfuz Movement (PTM) members, supporters and sympathizers staged a demonstration in Vienna to condemn Pakistan’s latest wave of military operation affecting the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province along the Durand Line with Afghanistan.
The protest, led by Stoorai Khan, PTM’s chief in Austria, took place at Vienna’s tourist hotspot, Stephansplatz, in response to the attack on Gelaman Wazir, a PTM leader in Pakistan.
The protesters chanted slogans against terrorism, carrying signs that read:
· Pashtuns will never accept the oppression of Punjab’s army.
· The attack on Gelaman Wazir is the work of Punjab’s army.
· Azm-e Istehkam is a war crime against Afghans.
· We do not accept dollar-based wars on oppressed Afghan soil.
· We reject militarizing the Afghan belt.
· Azm-e Istehkam is a terror operation by the Pakistani army.
· The Pakistan army attacked Gelaman Wazir. Shame on you, Pakistan army!
On June 23, the Pakistani government announced Operation Azm-e Istehkam (Resolve for Stability) to curb the rise of violent incidents carried out by Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The exact date of the operation has yet to be revealed, but critics question the intentions and potential success of this initiative. They argue it is a continuation of past operations that led to the massive displacement of Pashtuns on the Pakistani side of the Durand Line.
