Sultan M Hali
THE enemies of Pakistan are getting desperate to destabilize the country. They are using all means to create doubts in the minds of the people regarding their leadership, both military and civil. The aim of the exercise is to make the people shaky and think that their leadership is letting them down. PTI government came to power, riding on the shoulders of the youth. Now Pakistan’s detractors are busy trying drive a wedge between PTI and the youth, who mostly comprise students. The conspiracy has been hatched using disgruntled politicians, who have been caught in the dragnet of accountability. In order to escape from the long arm of the law, these nefarious lawbreakers, who feathered their own nest, stealing from the national exchequer. Now that they have been caught with their hand in the till, they would rather let down the country than face the music for their wrong deeds or return their ill-gotten wealth.
Last month, we saw a cleric, who had failed to garner support of his voters and was left out in the cold, tried to topple the government through brute force. Marching roughshod to the capital with his band of seminary students wielding staffs, this firebrand cleric was accorded support of the two main political parties who are facing serious charges of corruption. The government must have heaved a sigh of relief, when the cleric departed without creating a dent in the corridors of power. The situation has taken a grim turn with fifth generation warfare being employed by the enemy. After repeated kinetic, ideological and financial attacks on Pakistan orchestrated through compromised political leaders, sold out media and shady activists, the new scenario building is of Students Solidarity Campaign. Meanwhile, a video captured at the Faiz Festival organized by the Students Collective in Lahore, had gone viral and triggered a massive countrywide debate. In the video, dozens of students can be seen reciting the poems of revolutionary poet, Faiz Ahmad Faiz, and sloganeering passionately against the state of governance in the country.
The Student Solidarity Campaign in Pakistan is gaining momentum and has already gained support from important sections of the Pakistani left. The left party, Awami Workers Party (AWP), was the latest to express its support to the organizers. Students from across Pakistan are mobilizing against fee hikes, criminalization of activists, removing ban on student unions and budget cuts. Special mention is being made to sexual harassment and blackmail in Balochistan where security forces are being accused of abusing their position to use surveillance and heavy-handed policing to curb the students movement, the AWP demanded the “de-securitization of campus spaces in Sindh and Balochistan where Security Forces have been stationed to control student activities. They also demand release of all students arrested for organizing protests in Balochistan and Sindh and the sedition charges imposed on students of the Jamshoro University for demanding clean water should also be revoked.
Very intelligently issues of students and education system are being linked to security apparatus in an attempt to release pressure on anarchists in Balochistan and Sindh. This should be treated as the next attack on Pakistan in 5th generation warfare spectrum. The nefarious designs are well disguised to gain sympathies of students countrywide. Campaign has already gained sympathies of Iqbal Lala (father of the late Mashal Khan), Ammar Rashid (activist/journo/Dawn), Bushra Gohar (PTM/ANP), Jalila Haider (Activist / PTM), Nida Kirmani (LUMS/activist), Jibran Nasir (Activist), Farooq Tariq (General Secretary Kissan Rabta Committee), Ajmal Jami (Dunya News), PTM.
Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) proclaims itself as a Pashtun Rights activist movement. Members are led by Manzoor Pashteen, MNAs Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir. The group is being supported by some functional and nonfunctional leadership of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP)’s Senator Usman Kakar and Awami National Party (ANP)’s Afrasiab Khattak, Bushra Gohar and PPP Senator Farhat Ullah Babar. It is curious that numerous renowned international media organizations like VOA, BBC, Mashaal and Deewa Radio are promoting the ideology of PTM. The organization exploits Pashtun grief, fear and sorrows which the community suffered because of mushroom growth of foreign sponsored terrorism in its area. An in-depth look at the PTM strategy exposes its true intent of spreading chaos, confusion, divide and instigation against institutions. PTM follows exactly same narrative as was followed by the terrorist organization of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to wreak havoc and undermine state institution and Pakistan’s efforts in war on terror. PTM cannot debate its agenda with any knowledgeable or critical mind, instead it targets low educated and remotely located youth and population through hollow slogans, high pitch music, and occasional sad tales to arouse madness in the masses. A careful look at the leadership’s activities may expose their true designs.
Mohsin Dawar has been assigned the responsibility of addressing the foreign front and tries to instigate Pashtun Diaspora for alleged deprivations. Ali Wazir is holding the Afghan front. He is in continuous touch with the Afghan colleagues of PTM and has recently crossed Torkham border to Afghanistan where he was received amidst slogans of Lar o Bar Your Afghan. Manzoor Pashteen is constantly changing gears. He is claiming to sit and talk to the Government about his demands. Whereas on the other hand he is accusing Pakistani media for not airing PTM narrative. According to the latest information available, Manzur Pashteen plans organizing a meeting at Peshawar to record his group’s protest against the alleged murder of Arman Loni.
—The writer is retired PAF Group Captain and a TV talk show host.
