Ashrafuddin Pirzada
KHYBER: Pashtun Tahafuz Movement(PTM) key Leader from Khyber, Hussain Afridi, in a video message viral on social media, announced his dissociation from Pashtun Tahafuz Movement(PTM) and said Manzoor Pashteen is working on an anti-Pakistan agenda.
The development surfaced on social media platforms after the arrest of Hussain Ahmad Afridi by Khyber police.
Hussain Ahmad remained a prominent Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) figure and vice president of the Zwan Kukikhel organization in Khyber district. However, he publicly disassociated himself from the PTM following his recent arrest in a video message that went viral on social media platforms.
Sources said that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) registered a case against Hussain Afridi under Section 11 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). The inquiry, numbered 494/2024, has been launched, and the investigation is underway.
Afridi’s arrest was carried out by Khyber police, reportedly in connection with his social media activities. Shortly after his detention, a video statement attributed to him was released in which he declared his loyalty to Pakistan and renounced his association with the PTM.
“I am a Pakistani and stand with the state,” he stated, adding that he no longer supports or participates in the activities of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement.
Afridi was also a member of PTM’s Central Core Committee and had been actively involved in organizing local gatherings and raising concerns about alleged human rights violations in tribal areas.
PTM, a rights-based movement that emerged in 2018, has been vocal about issues such as enforced disappearances, military checkpoints and the treatment of ethnic Pashtuns in conflict zones. The state has often accused the group of inciting unrest, while PTM leaders insist they are peacefully demanding constitutional rights.
It is unclear whether Afridi’s dissociation was voluntary or under duress, but his sudden change of stance has sparked debate on social media, with supporters and critics weighing in on the circumstances surrounding his arrest and statement.
Further developments are awaited as the FIA continues its investigation.
Meanwhile, debates in support and against sparked on social media by PTM supporters and those against.
PTM termed it an oppressive action against PTM workers and supporters and demanded the forthwith release of Hussain Ahmad Afridi.
