Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Wednesday raised the issue of alleged discrimination against and profiling of Pakhtuns by the Islamabad administration with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Almost 1,400 suspects have been arrested by the Islamabad and Rawalpindi police in a crackdown on the PTI protesters who had marched on the federal capital last week before finally hastily retreating. The police have filed multiple cases against those involved in the protest.

At least six lives were lost in the three days of protests, which included a policeman and three Rangers officials who were knocked down by a speeding vehicle. Claims and counter-claims over deaths purportedly caused by law-enforcement action against the PTI marchers remain a major bone of contention between the government and the PTI.

Amid the situation, there have been allegations that the Islamabad administration and authorities have been allegedly targeting Pakhtuns and people from KP in the crackdown. A hashtag in solidarity with Pakhtuns also trended on social media platform X.

The Islamabad police rubbished the allegations in a post on X in the early hours of today, terming them “negative propaganda”. “During the recent law and order situation, no peaceful Pakhtun was ever detained. Legal action has been taken against miscreants and not on the basis of any nationality or region,” it said.

Formalising the sentiment, KP government Barrister Muhammad Saif lashed out today at what he called the Islamabad police’s “biased attitude” towards ordinary Pakhtuns based on provincialism and nationality.

In a post on X earlier today, he said: “The fake government is promoting ethnic prejudice in its hatred of Imran Khan. Pakhtuns are being subjected to oppression and violence in the twin cities.

“Pashto speakers are being put in prisoner vans. Poor Pakhtuns are being oppressed by posing them off as PTI workers. The fake government is promoting hatred in its grudge against Imran Khan.”

Subsequently, a post on the KP government’s X account said CM Gandapur took up the issue in a letter to PM Shehbaz, “expressing deep concern over the racial discrimination and unjustified arrests of innocent Pakhtuns in Islamabad”.

“I wish to bring to your attention a matter of concern regarding the treatment of Pakhtun labourers in Islamabad, particularly in relation to the arbitrary rounding up and the filing of unfounded ATA (Anti-Terrorism Act) FIRs against them. These individuals, who are primarily involved in low-paying jobs, have been unfairly targeted in the aftermath of the recent incidents involving peaceful political protests organised by PTI,” the letter read.

He said Islamabad’s Pakhtun community had long faced significant challenges with most of them engaged in “modest employment”.

“These individuals have not chosen to live in the capital but have been displaced due to the prolonged effects of the War on Terror and various military operations over the past two decades,” Gandapur said.

The chief minister also pointed to October’s Pashtoon Qaumi Jirga and how that situation was resolved, after the federal government initially banned it, through “a collective effort, transcending political lines”.

The chief minister rued that “regrettably, actions like these-driven by a mix of misunderstanding and misjudgment seem to be part of a recurring pattern.”

Pointing towards past actions and measures of PML-N governments that allegedly discriminated against Pakhtuns, CM Gandapur said: “Such actions, risk fostering a sense of alienation and exclusion among communities, which can ultimately lead to greater divisions and undermine the unity of the federation.

“Pakistan, as a federation, is built on the principles of equal rights for all citizens, irrespective of their ethnicity or province of origin. It is crucial that no group be made to feel inferior or alienated based on these arbitrary policies. The perceived superiority of one community over another can sow the seeds of conflict and division, which can have long-term consequences.”

He said policies resembling apartheid were universally condemned for their “divisive and inhumane nature”, adding that societies had moved beyond such policies towards inclusivity, progress and civility. “It is essential that we, too, do the same,” Gandapur added.

“In a federation like Pakistan, it is essential that political matters are addressed through peaceful and constructive dialogue, rather than through a majoritarian or ethnocentric lens. As the prime minister of the nation, it is crucial for you to be seen as a unifying and compassionate figure who represents all citizens equally. It is imperative that political differences are not allowed to lead to the marginalisation of any particular ethnicity.

“Having experienced the devastation of conflict firsthand, we in KP understand the toll that war and violence can take on a nation. Through this message, I reach out to you … I kindly request that you review the situation of the Pakhtun workers in Islamabad and take immediate action to quash the bogus FIRs and release those who have been unjustly detained,” the chief minister concluded.

He was not the only one to take issue with the alleged treatment of Pakhtuns.

Addressing a press conference in Peshawar, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi criticized the alleged arrests of Pakhtuns by the Islamabad police rather than the political leaders who he said were actually responsible for violent protests.

He said that Pakhtuns should not be linked with the PTI and that the participation of limited numbers from the community did not mean that all of them were supporting the party.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan also said it was “deeply concerned” by the alleged ethnic profiling of ordinary Pakhtun citizens after taking them into custody.

“The Islamabad police must refrain from any such actions that create divisions among various communities living in the country,” it said in a post on X.

Additional input from APP.