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AFP
Islamabad
Pakistan’s powerful military on Thursday warned a peaceful nationwide civil rights movement which accuses it of abuses that it will use force against them if they “cross the line”.
Military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said the armed forces were watching the Pashtun Protection Movement (PTM) closely. He told reporters in Islamabad the military has given the PTM space to protest as Pashtuns, especially those living in Pakistan’s northwest, have suffered disproportionately during Pakistan’s long battle with militancy. But, he added, patience is wearing thin.
“We realise their grief, their hardships, but (they) should not cross those lines, where the state has to use its force to control the situation,” he said.
The PTM has rattled the military since it burst onto the scene earlier this year with a call to end alleged abuses by security forces targeting ethnic Pashtuns in the restive tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan.
The area, once plagued by militancy and unrest, is where Washington believes that Pakistan is providing safe haven to militant groups including the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network. The army has carried out multiple operations in the region, and security there and across Pakistan has dramatically improved in recent years.
But the military maintains a heavy presence there still, and the PTM has unleashed festering anger over the alleged abuses against Pashtuns across the country.
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07/12/2018
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