PTM UK Chapter condemns year-long disappearance of two Pashtun activists, demands answers

In a post on X, PTM UK Chapter stated that one year had passed since the disappearance of the two activists, with their families and friends still awaiting information about their whereabouts, legal status and physical safety.

The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) United Kingdom Chapter has expressed strong condemnation over the continued enforced disappearance of two Pashtun human rights activists, Noorullah Tareen and Hanif Pashteen, who were allegedly abducted on November 12, 2025, after attending a Jirga convened by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led provincial government at the Provincial Assembly in Peshawar. In a post on X, PTM UK Chapter stated that one year had passed since the disappearance of the two activists, with their families and friends still awaiting information about their whereabouts, legal status and physical safety.

According to the organisation, Noorullah Tareen, Coordinator of PTM Sindh, and Hanif Pashteen, a Provisional Member of PTM, were among seven movement members taken into custody following the Jirga. Five other PTM members who were detained alongside them were subsequently released, while Tareen and Pashteen remain unaccounted for. The PTM UK Chapter expressed concern that no satisfactory information had been provided regarding the two activists' whereabouts, access to legal representation or physical well-being. It said their families, friends and fellow activists continued to endure prolonged uncertainty.

Describing the year-long absence of information as a humanitarian crisis and a violation of fundamental rights, the organisation said the case reflected a wider pattern of enforced disappearances affecting Pashtun activists, political workers, students, journalists and human rights defenders in Pakistan. The organisation also objected to the use of the term "missing persons" in cases where individuals are allegedly taken into custody by state authorities, or with their authorisation, support or acquiescence, and subsequently denied legal protection or official acknowledgement of their detention.

According to the post, enforced disappearance is not merely unlawful detention but a continuing violation that deprives individuals of legal protection, exposes them to the risk of torture and other abuses, and causes prolonged psychological suffering to their families. The PTM UK Chapter further described enforced disappearances as a method of intimidation intended to silence dissent, weaken communities and create an atmosphere of fear.

Reiterating its position, the organisation said the peaceful political engagement and demands for justice by Noorullah Tareen and Hanif Pashteen could not be grounds for their disappearance. It stressed that the two activists must not become another forgotten chapter in what it described as the history of injustice against the Pashtun people. Highlighting international legal obligations, PTM UK Chapter stated that the disappearance of the two activists must be examined in light of Pakistan's responsibilities under international human rights law and the universally recognised prohibition of arbitrary detention, torture and secret imprisonment.

The organisation's statement comes amid continuing concerns raised by human rights groups and activists over enforced disappearances in Pakistan, particularly involving political workers and human rights defenders from the Pashtun community. The allegations and demands were outlined by the PTM United Kingdom Chapter in its post on X. (ANI)