Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday criticised the recently proscribed Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) for its rhetoric amid reports of violence ahead of the three-day Pashtoon Qaumi Jirga in Khyber district.

He said that the government was ready to talk on rights-related issues with anyone if done in a “proper manner”.

On Sunday, the federal government imposed a ban on the PTM, citing threats to national peace and security. A day ago, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government prohibited its officials and employees from engaging with the three-day Pashtoon Qaumi Jirga, also called the Pashtun Qaumi Adalat, organised by the PTM and issued a public warning against any association. Khyber Deputy Commissioner retired Captain Sanaullah Khan also imposed Section 144 in the district for 30 days.

The move came in the lead-up to the grand jirga, scheduled for October 11 in Khyber district. Diehard activists assembled at the venue of their three-day jirga in Jamrud on Sunday evening in clear defiance of the federal government’s order and vowed to hold the gathering.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on the matter, Naqvi recounted the ban on the group by the federal government and said no one had an issue if people wanted to organise a jirga.

“Jirgas have been held before and will continue being held and no one has an issue with it. A jirga comprises a gathering of tribal elders, bringing people in the thousands is not called a jirga but something else.”

On the one hand, he said that the gathering was being referred to as a jirga and on the other hand, it was being referred to as a court.

The security czar said the government decided to not allow a “parallel judicial system” at any cost, adding that the ban was based on the alleged rhetoric by the PTM against state institutions and the police.

“You are talking about division in the nation by promoting ethnic divide. You can definitely [talk] about political topics and rights but … it cannot be permitted that you try to turn the nation against the institution.”

He said he was aware that leaders from a few major political parties had met PTM leaders and expressed solidarity on the issue of rights, but they had made it clear that talking about rights while advocating taking up weapons was not possible.

Naqvi said there was no further contact between the two groups after that meeting.

“People tried to make them (PTM) understand and said if it was a matter of rights then let us all speak as one,” he said, adding that the federal government was also ready to sit down and have talks about human rights with those “who only talk about rights in a proper manner”.

He said it was not possible that “state institutions were relentlessly slandered for years” and the federal government did nothing and remained silent.

“Anyway, it was banned and then the KP government placed 54 people on the Fourth Schedule and Balochistan placed 34.”

Including a name in the Fourth Schedule under the Anti-Terrorism Act means the person concerned has become a proscribed person. Restrictions impo­sed on such persons include passport embargo, freezing of bank accounts, a ban on financial support and credit, arms licence embargo, and employment clearance restrictions.

He said the federal and provincial governments were bound by the law to seal offices of proscribed organisations and there were many restrictions placed on them such as media, financial services, travel, arms licences and identity documents.

“It has been banned. Now, whoever assists them in any way or tries to help them out will also fall under these sanctions.”

The interior minister further alleged that videos and visuals of the PTM were shot by “foreign companies with external funding”.

“Whoever masters are behind you, we have a clear message for them that if you do this (spread division) in our country, then we will treat you accordingly”, Naqvi asserted.

“Then don’t expect that you will try to spread discord in our country and we will remain silent. The same is the message for the anarchists that there will be no forgiveness.”

Naqvi said intrigue and taking up arms against the country could not be allowed.

3 allegedly killed in Khyber, says MPA

Meanwhile, the PTM alleged earlier today that three of its supporters were killed due to the “straight firing” of law enforcement agencies ahead of the jirga.

Awami National Party (ANP) MPA Nisar Baaz, during today’s KP Assembly session, said people had gathered for the jirga and “on the orders of the KP government, the police took action, killing three people and injuring over 10”.

Dawn.com has reached out to KP government officials for a comment.

Baaz called the ban on the PTM “unconstitutional”.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan also said it was “deeply concerned by reports of violence being received from Khyber”.

It added: “We oppose any use of unwarranted and unlawful force against those protesters who are unarmed.”

PHC bars PTM from holding gathering

Earlier today, a two-member bench of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) restrained the PTM from holding the jirga on disputed land, directing the police to take action to maintain law and order.

The PHC issued a stay order to stop the event on the disputed land and adjourned the case till Oct 15. The bench consisted of Justice Attiq Shah and Justice Sahibzada Asadullah.

The additional attorney general told the court that the PTM was banned by the federal government and its activity was prohibited under the law.

He said that action by law enforcement agencies against any banned organisation was legally permissible, adding that the land being used for the gathering was also disputed.

A resident of the district had moved the PHC against the PTM’s jirga.

The petitioner Khateer Ullah had listed the federal government, provincial government, inspector general of police and PTM leader Manzoor Ahmad Pashteen as respondents.

In his petition, he argued that following the constitutional amendment, all tribal districts had been merged in KP and followed “the law of land” saying that a national court was unconstitutional in this situation.

The petitioner sought a stay order on the illegal jirga until a final decision was reached.