Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) chief Manzoor Pashteen has been banned from entering Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). The ban was imposed by the AJK government in the territorial jurisdiction of the AJK region.
The AJK home department issued a notification, saying that the ban has been placed on Pashteen’s entry for three months. The action is said to have been taken under section 5 of the Maintenance of Public Order Act, 1985.
The PTM chief was going to speak at a convention on Dec 25 organised by a group of National Students Federation, a pro-independence organisation.
Earlier, some members of a little known organisation called Tehreek-e-Jawanan-Kashmir addressed a press conference and sought a ban on Pashteen’s entry. They said that the step should be taken ‘to arrest propagation of India-sponsored narratives in the territory’.
However, the step was condemned on social media, with people terming it an attack of freedom of speech and expression.
Former AJK information minister and PML-N AJK leader Mushtaq Minhas tweeted, “We condemn the PTI government in strong words for banning Manzoor Pashteen’s entry and speech in Azad Kashmir. Imposing restrictions on freedom of expression and speech is a fascist practice. Manzoor Pashteen! We are ashamed.”
