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Afghans protesters demand Pahsteen’s release, erecting tens outside Pakistan embassy in Kabul
AT News
KABUL: Hundreds of people on Tuesday gathered in front of Pakistan embassy in Kabul to protest arrest of Manzoor Pashteen, leader of Pashtoon Tahafuz Movement (PTM) by Pakistani police.
Pashteen was arrested Sunday on charges of conspiracy, being taken into custody in Peshawar city, the capital of Khyber-Pakshtoonkhwah province.
Protesters in Kabul warned to close Pakistan embassy and to continue demonstrations if Islamabad didn’t release Pashteen.
Not only in Kabul, but in major Afghan provinces, a large number of people took out to the streets and protest Pashteen’s arrest, demanding the Pakistani authorities his immediate release.
Members of parliament and civil society were among the protesters and made a sit-in in front of embassy gate. But police didn’t let demonstrators for sit-in.
President Ashraf Ghani and former president Hamid Karzai criticized Pakistan government for detaining Pashteen.
The protesters accused Pakistan army of arresting him without any reasons, calling for his immediate release.
Protesters blamed police for “Pakistan forces-style” treatment with them. Afghans who go to Pakistan, complain for bad treatment by the country’s police.
Dawn, a Pakistani media on Tuesday said that PTM leaders and MNAs Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir were taken into custody in Islamabad
According to Kohsar police Station House Officer Akhtar Ali, 15 workers of PTM, including Dawar and Wazir, had been arrested from outside the National Press Club in Islamabad, where they were demonstrating against PTM chief Manzoor Pashteen’s arrest. A large number of supporters and PTM workers were attending the protest, including politicians Afrasiab Khattak and Bushra Gohar.
The development was also confirmed by Dawar. “We are in police custody and [have been] shifted to Kohsar police station,” he told DawnNewsTV.
The reason for the arrests was not immediately clear. However, a police official, who spoke to DawnNewsTV on condition of anonymity, said that the protesters were arrested on the orders of higher authorities.
Later, Ali Wazir said he has not been detained, but Mohsin Dawar is still under custody.
