Pakistan: Pashtuns to hold meet despite no permission

Despite the refusal by Lahore district administration, Pashtun Tahafuz Movement supporters will continue to hold a public meeting at Lahore's Mochi Gate.

The Lahore Police have refused to grant permission for a public meeting at Lahore in connection with Pashtun Long March to Lahore on Saturday.

In an official letter, the police said, "The request for to hold public meeting on April 22 at Mochi Gate has been examined and it is hereby informed that under the prevailing security and circumstances, the NOC for the said purpose cannot be given."

Though, despite the refusal, the protesters have said that they would hold their march against Pakistan's atrocities in the Khyber-Pashtun area.

Earlier on Saturday, Pakistani journalist Rabia Mehmood criticised the Lahore administration's decision to prohibit the public meeting while attacking the Pakistan political party Tehreek-e-Labaik on spreading hate among the people.

"Lahore is littered w/ remains of public ads inviting people to Tehreek Labbaik confs & rallies of far-right groups that thrive on hate narratives against followers of diff denominations of Islam and their gatherings are allowed. But #PashtunLongMarch2Lahore is a security concern," tweeted Mehmood.

Pashtun Long March was a three-hour long rally to Peshawar held on April 8 by 1,00,000 Pashtuns against the Pakistani state-sponsored terrorism in Pashtunistan. The protesters further demanded public hanging of retired Pakistan Army General and former president Pervez Musharraf.

The movement was started by young Pashtun activists who are demanding an end to what they say are human rights violations by authorities in the country's tribal regions.

They have been calling for the removal of military checkpoints in tribal areas and an end to "enforced disappearances" in which suspects are detained by security forces without due process.

As per another Pakistan-based journalist Rauf, these demands are within the ambit of Pakistan constitution to expose the atrocities of the army against the Pashtuns.