Manzoor Pashteen, the leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement, said in his recent remarks that Pashtuns cannot achieve a peaceful and prosperous future under Pakistan.
He argued that the ongoing conflicts in Pashtun regions are proxy and manufactured wars orchestrated by Pakistan. According to him, the Taliban were created to destabilize the region and provide the Pakistani military with a pretext to occupy territory and displace local populations.
Pashteen said the primary objective of these wars is to exploit natural resources and implement what he described as international terrorist projects in the region.
He stated that difficult periods in the history of nations do not occur by chance, but are the result of long periods of neglect. He added that overcoming such circumstances is not a task that can be accomplished in a single day and requires sustained struggle.
According to Pashteen, the struggle of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement, like all national movements, may intensify challenges in the short term, but organized national resistance is the only path to a lasting solution.
He said that all Pakistani media outlets and journalists are serving what he described as a colonial system.
Pashteen described Pakistan as a state “in name only,” saying it lacks genuine roots and that its principal function is to impoverish Pashtuns.
He alleged that over the past two weeks, Pakistan has carried out hundreds of drone strikes on Pashtun communities, killing civilians, including children, women and men.
He also claimed that Maulana Idris was killed by the Pakistani military.
Pashteen said Pakistan is seeking to undermine the Pashtuns’ economy, culture and identity.
He noted that Pashtun areas are deprived of electricity, internet access, education and other essential services, while Pakistani military forts in the same regions have access to electricity, internet, schools, hospitals, parks and other facilities.
Pashteen said Punjabis are not “brothers” to Pashtuns, but rather those responsible for oppression on Pashtun land and against Pashtun communities.
He asserted that the Pakistani state is incapable of meaningful reform and that freedom and independence from it would benefit all nations. He said other peoples are already fighting for their liberation and that, although Pashtuns began late, they will eventually achieve their goal.
Pashteen also said that Afghans do not use social media effectively, particularly TikTok.
“We are neither lost, nor is Pakistan beyond our reach,” he said. “One day we will confront each other. We are powerless, but not hopeless, and we know our enemy.”
According to Pashteen, Ali Wazir, Haji Samad, Noorullah Tareen and Hanif Pashteen are imprisoned for what he described as the cause of national freedom, and could be released immediately if they accepted the demands of those in power.
Addressing the Baloch people, Pashteen said, “We stand with you.” He said Mahrang Baloch and other Baloch prisoners have not been forgotten, and described the relationship between Pashtuns and Baloch as historic. He said both peoples will one day achieve their aspirations.
