PESHAWAR: Thousands of the protestors from around the country joined the rally of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement on Sunday in Peshawar. The Pashtuns from every corner of the country attended the protest which was organised in order to protest the killings of PTM core committee member professor Arman Loni in Quetta.
Along with men, a huge number of women was also present at the rally and according to the organisers a section of ground was dedicated for the women protestors and another small section was organised for the disabled and aged people who were also part of protest.
Hundreds of protesters were holding posters in their hands inscribed with different slogans, demanding the equal rights and release of the missing ones.
Shehla, another young woman from Quetta, said, “I am so proud and feeling happy that the awareness among Pashtun women is increasing day by day and it’s evident in the number of women participants in today’s protest”.
Waranga Loni, the sister of slain professor Arman Loni, in her speech at the rally said, “Arman was the son of this soil; he protested and struggled for the equal rights of people of this soil. He was a voice for voiceless, he needed nothing but freedom and education for the deprived people of this land”.
“Arman was like a sun and those who killed him were like a dark night and darkness always ends with the occurrence of light and now it is the time for light to come and for darkness to end.
“Arman’s blood is buried like a seed of wheat and one day it will bear fruit for all the deprived because he has sacrificed his life for the welfare of his soil”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSigWGI7vDU&t=5s
The leader of the movement Manzoor Pashteen asked the rally to remain united until they get the equal rights from the state. Pashtuns have been kept unaware of their basic rights, history and their geography, but now the Pashtuns are not uninformed anymore and will fight for their basic rights.
“Besides many other rights violations our Pashtun heroes have been ignored in the national curriculum, but now time has come that we will stand up and fight together for our legal rights”.
Other speakers on the occasion said that they were a peaceful nation and wanted nothing but justice and equality in a peaceful way and within the premises of the constitution of Pakistan.
Sanna Ejaz, another woman leader of PTM and the head of the organising team for the rally, said, “We are peaceful, our narrative is nonviolence, our narrative is peace, our narrative is prosperity, our narrative is to work together and state must listen to us, otherwise we will keep asking and protesting for our rights”.
She added that our professors, lawyers, teachers, and women in markets have been killed and state should do everything to stop the genocide of Pashtuns, otherwise they will have to pay for it.
According to the chief organiser of the rally, Salam Khan, arrangements for more than 40,000 people had been made and he believed that the number of protesters would be far greater than 40,000 because thousands of people had reached and many small rallies were still on the way”.
Dr Khadim Hussain, an intellectual talking about this protest, said, “People are becoming aware now and it is time for the state to recognise the fact that every citizen of this state must be treated equally and the state should address the issue on war footings”.
Along with men, a huge number of women was also present at the rally and according to the organisers a section of ground was dedicated for the women protestors and another small section was organised for the disabled and aged people who were also part of protest.
Hundreds of protesters were holding posters in their hands inscribed with different slogans, demanding the equal rights and release of the missing ones.
Saeeda Jan, a woman from Lower Dir said, “Everyone should stand up for their rights and it is our sole responsibility to ask for our rights”.
She added that we should utilise every platform ‘to get our equal rights and fight the injustice’.
Shehla, another young woman from Quetta, said, “I am so proud and feeling happy that the awareness among Pashtun women is increasing day by day and it’s evident in the number of women participants in today’s protest”.
Waranga Loni, the sister of slain professor Arman Loni, in her speech at the rally said, “Arman was the son of this soil; he protested and struggled for the equal rights of people of this soil. He was a voice for voiceless, he needed nothing but freedom and education for the deprived people of this land”.
“Arman was like a sun and those who killed him were like a dark night and darkness always ends with the occurrence of light and now it is the time for light to come and for darkness to end.
“Arman’s blood is buried like a seed of wheat and one day it will bear fruit for all the deprived because he has sacrificed his life for the welfare of his soil”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSigWGI7vDU&t=5s
The leader of the movement Manzoor Pashteen asked the rally to remain united until they get the equal rights from the state. Pashtuns have been kept unaware of their basic rights, history and their geography, but now the Pashtuns are not uninformed anymore and will fight for their basic rights.
“Besides many other rights violations our Pashtun heroes have been ignored in the national curriculum, but now time has come that we will stand up and fight together for our legal rights”.
Other speakers on the occasion said that they were a peaceful nation and wanted nothing but justice and equality in a peaceful way and within the premises of the constitution of Pakistan.
Sanna Ejaz, another woman leader of PTM and the head of the organising team for the rally, said, “We are peaceful, our narrative is nonviolence, our narrative is peace, our narrative is prosperity, our narrative is to work together and state must listen to us, otherwise we will keep asking and protesting for our rights”.
She added that our professors, lawyers, teachers, and women in markets have been killed and state should do everything to stop the genocide of Pashtuns, otherwise they will have to pay for it.
According to the chief organiser of the rally, Salam Khan, arrangements for more than 40,000 people had been made and he believed that the number of protesters would be far greater than 40,000 because thousands of people had reached and many small rallies were still on the way”.
Dr Khadim Hussain, an intellectual talking about this protest, said, “People are becoming aware now and it is time for the state to recognise the fact that every citizen of this state must be treated equally and the state should address the issue on war footings”.