WANA: Thousands of people attended the funeral of Arif Wazir, a leader of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), on Sunday. Mr Wazir suffered injuries in an attempt on his life in South Waziristan tribal district two days ago and died during treatment in Islamabad on Saturday.

He was laid to rest in his ancestral graveyard in Ghwa Khwa, near Wana, the main city in South Waziristan. Manzoor Pashteen, the PTM chief, MNAs Mohisn Dawar and Ali Wazir, Mir Kalam, an MPA from North Waziristan, and a number of other prominent PTM leaders attended the Namaz-i-Janaza.

A large contingent of law enforcement personnel guarded government buildings in Wana and sealed off important roads.

Arif Wazir was admitted to Islamabad’s Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences after unknown assailants shot at him outside his house on Friday. He was operated upon, but died of his injuries a day later.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Speaking to reporters after the funeral, Manzoor Pashteen condemned the murder and termed it a big loss for oppressed groups. “There is a need to convene a Jirga to forge unity among Pakhtuns,” Mr Pashteen said.

He said the time had come to eliminate terrorists and their hideouts in order to ensure lasting peace. Manzoor Pashteen called for protests across the country and abroad on May 5, asking workers to observe a “peaceful strike” to condemn the killing of Arif Wazir.

Ali Wazir and Mohsin Dawar, both MNAs, said extremism had brought nothing but misery to Pakhtuns. “The state’s policies have created a sense of deprivation among Pakhtuns and we shall continue our struggle for protecting our rights.”

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2020