Pakistan enforced disappearances: Amnesty flags PTM activist abductions
Synopsis
Amnesty International has flagged a systematic pattern of enforced disappearances of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement activists in Pakistan — the latest being Fareedullah Afridi, abducted from Peshawar on 18 May with no FIR filed. With two other PTM members missing since November 2025, the rights body is warning of torture risk and calling out what it describes as a broader state-led campaign of repression against the movement.
Key Takeaways
Amnesty International on 27 May raised alarm over a pattern of enforced disappearances targeting Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) activists in Pakistan .
Fareedullah Afridi was abducted on 18 May from Peshawar ; police have refused to file an FIR or investigate.
PTM activists Hanif Pashteen and Noor Ullah Tareen have been in secret detention since 12 November 2025 , taken into custody outside the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly .
Amnesty International warned that secret detention raises the risk of torture and ill-treatment .
The rights body has written to KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and called for immediate release and independent investigation.
Amnesty International on Wednesday, 27 May raised grave concern over a systematic pattern of enforced disappearances targeting Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) activists in Pakistan, calling on Islamabad to immediately investigate and disclose the whereabouts of those detained. The rights body described the crackdown as part of a broader state-led campaign of repression against the civil rights movement.
Latest Disappearance: Fareedullah Afridi
Fareedullah Afridi, a member of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement, was reportedly abducted on the evening of 18 May from Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. According to Amnesty International, local police have refused to file a First Information Report (FIR) and have not initiated any investigation, despite repeated requests from his family.
'Fareedullah Afridi is not the first PTM activist to be abducted without a trace,' Amnesty International stated. 'His disappearance fits into a worrying pattern of enforced disappearance of PTM activists and crackdown by state authorities.'
What Amnesty International Is Demanding
The rights body has called on Pakistani authorities to immediately conduct an effective, independent, and transparent investigation into Afridi's abduction. 'If he is in custody of the authorities, his whereabouts should be disclosed; he must be released immediately, and those responsible for his disappearance be held accountable in line with international human rights standards,' it said.
Earlier Cases: Hanif Pashteen and Noor Ullah Tareen
Last month, Amnesty International wrote to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, expressing serious concern over the disappearance of PTM activists Hanif Pashteen and Noor Ullah Tareen. The two were taken into police custody on 12 November 2025 while leaving the Provincial Assembly in Peshawar, and their whereabouts have reportedly not been disclosed since.
Amnesty International warned that their secret detention raises the risk of torture, ill-treatment, and other serious human rights violations. 'The lack of transparency about their whereabouts and the conditions of their detentions heightens these concerns,' the organisation stated.
A Broader Pattern of Repression
Amnesty International characterised these incidents not as isolated events but as part of a sustained campaign against the PTM. 'There have been repeated instances of arbitrary and unlawful detention, harassment, intimidation, and enforced disappearances targeting PTM members,' it noted. The movement, which advocates for the rights of Pashtun communities in Pakistan, has faced sustained pressure from state authorities over several years.
This is the latest in a series of international interventions calling on Pakistan to address enforced disappearances — a practice that human rights bodies say remains endemic and largely unaddressed by the country's legal institutions. With no FIR filed and no official acknowledgement of custody in Afridi's case, pressure on Islamabad from the international community is likely to intensify.
Point of View
But the frequency with which PTM activists are being targeted — and the brazenness with which police refuse even to register FIRs — signals a qualitative escalation. The pattern Amnesty International describes is consistent with what human rights observers have documented for years: the PTM is treated less as a civil society movement and more as a security threat to be suppressed rather than engaged. What is striking is the location — Peshawar, a provincial capital, in one case outside the legislature itself — suggesting that the crackdown is no longer confined to remote tribal areas. International condemnation has thus far produced little accountability, and without domestic legal mechanisms willing to act, the cycle is likely to continue.
NationPress
5 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Fareedullah Afridi and why was he abducted?
Fareedullah Afridi is a member of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), a civil rights organisation in Pakistan. He was reportedly abducted on the evening of 18 May 2025 from Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; no official reason has been given, and police have refused to file an FIR or investigate.
What is the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM)?
The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement is a Pakistani civil rights organisation that advocates for the rights of Pashtun communities, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tribal areas. It has faced sustained pressure from Pakistani state authorities, including alleged arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances of its members.
What has Amnesty International demanded from Pakistan?
Amnesty International has called on Pakistani authorities to immediately conduct an independent and transparent investigation into Fareedullah Afridi's abduction, disclose his whereabouts if he is in custody, release him immediately, and hold those responsible accountable under international human rights standards.
Who are Hanif Pashteen and Noor Ullah Tareen?
Hanif Pashteen and Noor Ullah Tareen are PTM activists who were taken into police custody on 12 November 2025 while leaving the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly in Peshawar. Their whereabouts have reportedly not been disclosed to their families since.
Why does Amnesty International say these are not isolated incidents?
Amnesty International states that the disappearances form part of a broader pattern of repression against PTM, including repeated arbitrary detentions, harassment, intimidation, and enforced disappearances. The organisation says Pakistani authorities have consistently failed to provide transparency or accountability in these cases.
