November 14, 2025
By Kaleem Ullah
LAHORE
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mohammad (CM of KP).Sohail Afridi on Thursday denounced the alleged abduction of two activists of the banned Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), calling it a ‘violation of Pashtun traditions’.
Speaking to media persons outside Adiala Prison in Rawalpindi, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said, “The two PTM representatives who were invited to the jirga have gone missing. This is against all tribal and Pashtun traditions. A jirga is part of our cultural identity and a symbol of peace. Whoever is responsible for disappearing these people is an enemy of peace for the Pashtun nation.”
Addressing the Peshawar Corps Commander, he added, “I urge the Corps Commander to look into those who abducted these two individuals, because our reaction to this incident will be very strong, and we — the provincial government — will become complainants in this case.”
On Thursday, Manzoor Ahmad Pashteen, leader of the banned PTM, wrote in a Facebook post that members of their delegation who had attended the PTI jirga on the party’s invitation had still not returned home and remained missing, with no contact established so far.
According to Pashteen, he had received information that after leaving the jirga, personnel of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police and intelligence agencies allegedly abducted the delegation members and subjected them to severe violence.
PTM’s provincial coordinator Khairul Ameen told Voicepk that a PTI MNA had invited them to the jirga and sought their proposals on restoring peace in the province. However, when the delegation — comprising Hanif Pashteen and Noorullah Tareen — attended the jirga, they were neither given appropriate seating nor allowed time to speak.
It is worth noting that PTM activists remained seated during the playing of the national anthem before the peace jirga, sparking controversy and drawing criticism from politicians and social media users. Awami National Party (ANP) President Senator Aimal Wali Khan condemned the act, calling it disrespectful. “There is such a thing as basic sense and respect. You show respect to receive respect. Remaining seated during a national anthem is senseless and disrespectful. I stand for any national anthem as a matter of principle,” Mr. Khan wrote on X.
Ameen said that instead of allowing PTM leaders to speak about the deteriorating law and order situation in the province, the refusal to stand for the national anthem was turned into an issue.
Speaking about the circumstances of the incident, he said, “Our leaders were abducted near KFC in Peshawar when they were on their way back after leaving the jirga. There is still no information about their whereabouts, as the police are denying having arrested them. However, we have filed a writ petition in the High Court today for their recovery.”
He added that they are in contact with two PTI MNAs — Sher Ali Arbab and Dr. Amjad — who had asked for time until Thursday evening to work for their release. He further said that since the Chief Minister had also taken notice of the incident, they would wait for a while; however, if their leaders were not released, they would announce a major protest.
PTI lawmaker in the National Assembly Sher Ali Arbab told Voicepk that he had inquired about their whereabouts from the police and the Counter Terrorism Department, but both denied taking them into custody. He added that no one from the provincial government had issued any instructions regarding their arrest. He suspected that they might have been picked up by the country’s intelligence agencies, with whom government officials are in contact to ensure their release.