ISAS Working Papers

Since January 2018, the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (Pashtun Protection Movement) [PTM] has organised mass rallies across Pakistan in which they have denounced the Taliban, Pakistani military and the state apparatus for “humiliating” and persecuting the Pashtuns. Such an open critique of the military is rare in Pakistan. By way of presenting a historical backdrop to the emergence of this movement, this paper reviews key facets of the sociopolitical dynamics of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. It also reviews the major demands made by the movement. More broadly, the paper highlights how the adoption of new media is enabling movements like the PTM evade state censorship and challenge established religious and social political authority.