“Our village people and village children were wearing new clothes for Eid. Our village people and children were all celebrating Eid but in my house, we were all sad and worried because my father was taken away and has not returned. Eid passed in sadness, everyone lied to me and my sisters that my father will come tomorrow, but my father is not returning home.” These heart-wrenching words are of the younger son of Eid Rehman Wazir, who is also a coordinator of PTM North Waziristan. On May 30, 2023, he was picked up from the Saeedgi check post. The next day PTM central core committee member Zakim Khan Wazir and Jalal were also taken into custody.
Despite a large contingent of armed forces stationed in the area, the TTP are active in North Waziristan. Eid Rehman, Zakim Khan Wazir and Jalal were vocal against rising terrorism in North Waziristan and harassment faced by local people at the hands of authorities. A protest was held in North Waziristan demanding the release of PTM members abducted, highlighting the violation of law and the constitution of Pakistan. In this sit-in, PTM leader Manzoor Pashtun, MNA Ali Wazir, other central provincial and district leaders of PTM, and over a thousand people participated daily. There were demands for more sit-ins unless the abducted PTM workers and other missing persons were released. Manzoor Pashtun stated that it was high time that the armed forces started working in the ambit of law and under civilian leadership armed and called on the courts to play an active role. MNA Ali Wazir said that the friends of PTM had been illegally abducted and despite this, the courts and lawmakers remained silent. No crime is greater than enforced disappearances, abduction of activists in broad daylight and confining them to torture cells. On the basis of their tweets on these three PTM workers, Alamzeb Mehsud, a social leader working for Missing Persons, and his nephew were arrested in recent days. The Dera Ismail Khan police registered a false case of possession of drugs against Alamzeb Mehsud. After staying in prison for a few days, Alamzaib Mehsud was granted bail. A case was registered against PTM leader Manzoor Pashtun, Ali Wazir, Abdul Samad, Dr. Hayat and other leaders at the request of an unknown person on the charge of making seditious statements at the sit-in. On the basis of the presence of Manzoor Pashteen, Ali Wazir and other friends, Sapalgha village was besieged throughout the night. Ali Wazir was arrested, and first transferred to Miran Shah Cantonment and later to Bannu Jail. Protests were held in dozens of cities in Pakistan demanding the release of Eid Rehman Zakeem Wazir and Jalal. PTM central committee member Sabir Bilal and his associates Pir Jabbar, Ejaz, Adil and Khushal from Mardan were booked under Section 16 of Maintenance of Public Order by the district administration for demanding the recovery of PTM friends and sit-in. A case was registered against members of PTM District Khybar under the provisions of terrorism and sedition. After spending a few days in jail, MNA Ali Wazir was released on bail from the court. Protests were held in various countries outside Pakistan to support PTM’s sit-in in Miran Shah and for the recovery of friends. Hundreds of people participated in the protest organized by PTM Germany in Frankfurt, Germany. Mayvind Yousufi, Qahar Himmat, Saira Noorzai, Amin Pashtun, Sami Khan and Ali Khel Noorzai and others addressed this demonstration. Organized by PTM Belgium, a protest demonstration was held in Antwerp on June 25 in support of the Miran Shah sit-in. The demonstration was addressed by Malak Bazai, Rehman Mohmand and others. Another protest demonstration was held by PTM Holland in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. These protests also got a lot of attention on social media. These protests demanded that the international community take notice of the abduction of PTM comrades.
Akhtar Salam Dawar, a resident of Kuli Tapi, North Waziristan, told the sit-in that his two sons, Tahir Aslam and Sohal Aslam, were abducted from their house on May 25. While one son was released, the other remains held in captivity. During the sit-in, a committee of political parties of North Waziristan, Ittehad, Atmanzai Qam Jirga and journalists were invited. This committee used to negotiate with sit-ins at the behest of authorities. It promised that its workers would be released if PTM ended the sit-in. The sit-in was suspended on the basis of this assurance but there is no news of their release.
Another PTM comrade Gilaman Wazir was arrested at the Peshawar Airport and has not been produced in any court so far. Despite the presence of a large number of terrorists in North Waziristan and the TTP’s continued attacks on the soldiers, it is the PTM members who are under the target of the authorities.