Amnesty demands release of PTM leaders Pashteen, Tareen missing since Nov 2025
Synopsis
Two senior PTM leaders have been missing since November 2025 — five months and counting — with no charges, no disclosed location, and no communication with their families. Amnesty International's formal letter to the KP Chief Minister signals that Pakistan's enforced disappearance crisis is drawing fresh international scrutiny at the highest levels.
Key Takeaways
Amnesty International on 30 April 2026 formally demanded the release of Hanif Pashteen and Noor Ullah Tareen , missing since 12 November 2025 .
The two PTM leaders were detained by police outside the Provincial Assembly in Peshawar after boycotting a KP government session.
A seven-member delegation was initially detained; five members were released from Attock Jail, Punjab , on 18 January 2026 .
No formal charges have been disclosed to the families of Pashteen or Tareen as of 30 April 2026 .
Amnesty International warned of risk of torture and ill-treatment and called the case part of a broader crackdown on PTM activists.
Amnesty International on Thursday, 30 April 2026, formally called on Pakistani authorities to release Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leaders Hanif Pashteen and Noor Ullah Tareen and to immediately disclose their whereabouts to their families. The two civil rights defenders have been missing since 12 November 2025, when they were taken into police custody outside the Provincial Assembly in Peshawar, according to the global rights organisation.
How the Detention Unfolded
Pashteen and Tareen were among a seven-member PTM delegation attending a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government-convened provincial assembly session as community representatives. After being denied the opportunity to present their views, the delegation boycotted the session and exited the assembly premises. Shortly after their departure, police personnel intercepted the group.
Citing eyewitness accounts, Amnesty International revealed that the capital city police officer of Peshawar was present at the scene and directed all seven delegates — including Pashteen and Tareen — to be placed in police vehicles. The whereabouts of all seven were initially unknown following the detention.
Five Released, Two Still Missing
On 18 January 2026, five of the seven forcibly disappeared individuals were released from Attock Jail in Punjab province. However, Hanif Pashteen and Noor Ullah Tareen remain in enforced disappearance. Their families have not been informed of any formal charges, and their current location remains undisclosed, according to Amnesty International.
In its letter addressed to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, the rights body stated:
Point of View
But the Pashteen-Tareen case carries particular weight: these are named, internationally recognised civil society figures, detained in full public view outside a provincial legislature. The five-month silence from Islamabad and Peshawar is not administrative delay — it is a deliberate withholding of information that violates Pakistan's own constitutional guarantees. Amnesty International writing directly to a sitting Chief Minister signals that diplomatic pressure is now being applied at the provincial executive level, not just through UN channels. The real question is whether Pakistan's civilian leadership has the will — or the authority — to override the security apparatus that critics say routinely uses enforced disappearance as a tool of political suppression.
NationPress
1 May 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why were Hanif Pashteen and Noor Ullah Tareen detained?
Pashteen and Tareen were taken into police custody on 12 November 2025 after leaving the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly in Peshawar, where they had attended a government-convened session as community representatives. They boycotted the session after being denied the opportunity to speak, and were intercepted by police shortly after exiting the premises.
What is the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM)?
The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement is a Pakistani civil rights organisation that advocates for the rights and protection of Pashtun communities, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tribal areas. It has faced repeated allegations of state-sponsored harassment, arbitrary detention, and enforced disappearances targeting its members.
Were any of the detained PTM members released?
Yes. Five of the seven detained PTM delegation members were released from Attock Jail in Punjab province on 18 January 2026. Hanif Pashteen and Noor Ullah Tareen remain in enforced disappearance as of 30 April 2026.
What has Amnesty International demanded from Pakistani authorities?
Amnesty International has written to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi demanding the immediate release of Pashteen and Tareen and the disclosure of their whereabouts to their families. It has also called for an end to the broader pattern of repression against PTM activists.
What are the legal concerns surrounding the disappearances?
Amnesty International has stated that the enforced disappearance of Pashteen and Tareen constitutes a violation of their rights to liberty and a fair trial under international law. The organisation has also warned that secret detention raises the risk of torture and ill-treatment.
