Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) chief Manzoor Pashteen on 15 October 2026 levelled sweeping accusations against Pakistan's military, alleging extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and systematic plunder of resources in Pashtun-majority regions. Speaking virtually at an international conference organised by PTM Canada in Toronto, Pashteen urged the global diaspora to work collectively toward isolating Islamabad on the world stage.

Pashteen's Core Allegations

'The state is shedding Pashtun and Afghan blood like water. It has plundered our resources and destroyed our homeland,' Pashteen said, addressing hundreds of attendees at the event titled 'Unmasking Pakistan's Atrocities'. He alleged that numerous Pashtuns remain held in what he described as the military's 'private prisons', citing specifically the continued imprisonment of PTM leaders Ali Wazir and Haji Samad as emblematic cases.

Pashteen also dismissed Pakistan's democratic institutions as a facade, questioning the military's counter-terrorism rationale. 'Look at its parliament: the military brings in whoever it wants and removes whoever it does not want. Keeping hopes alive in such a system was a waste of time. What kind of strange terrorism is this that does not exist in Punjab, while projects of terrorism are implemented only in Pashtunkhwa?' he said. He called on Pashtuns, Baloch, Sindhis, and Kashmiris to unite against what he termed their 'common enemy'.

Conference Declaration and Demands

The Toronto gathering adopted a formal declaration outlining five core demands: the establishment of an independent truth and reconciliation commission under UN auspices; full disclosure of the whereabouts of missing persons; release of those allegedly detained unlawfully; lifting of the ban on PTM; and the restoration of local control over land and natural resources in affected regions. The declaration reflects a deliberate shift toward internationalising what PTM frames as a domestic human rights crisis.

International Voices at the Gathering

The conference drew notable international figures. Chris Alexander, a former Canadian Ambassador to Afghanistan, addressed attendees and accused Pakistan's military leadership of seeking to dominate Afghanistan through proxies and terrorism. 'End the violence. That is the key to everything,' he said. Shinkai Karokhail, a former Afghan Member of Parliament and ex-Ambassador to Canada, charged that Pakistan 'nurtures terrorism and also presents itself as its victim', adding that Afghans would carry documented evidence of alleged atrocities to every available international forum.

Background: PTM and Its Ban

PTM was founded in 2014 and has since campaigned against extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances primarily in Pakistan's tribal and Pashtun-majority regions. In October 2024, Pakistan's government formally banned the movement under what critics describe as a misapplication of the country's Anti-Terrorism Act. The ban has drawn condemnation from international human rights organisations, which argue it further silences legitimate dissent. This Toronto conference is part of a broader PTM push to build pressure through diaspora networks and international advocacy, following restricted space for the movement inside Pakistan.

Wider Regional Context

This comes amid longstanding international scrutiny of Pakistan's handling of its Pashtun and Baloch populations, with rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch documenting patterns of enforced disappearances over the past two decades. Pakistan's military has consistently denied systematic abuses, attributing operations in the region to counter-terrorism imperatives. The conference in Toronto signals PTM's intent to keep international attention on these allegations even as the movement remains suppressed within Pakistan's borders.