Ashes of Truth How Extremist Narratives Bury Pashtuns Sacrifices
The night is heavy with grief in Waziristan, but not because of the lies spun by PTM or the voices of clerics who glorify killers as martyrs. It is heavy because once again, forces that call themselves protectors of Pashtuns are in reality protecting those who butcher them. When Mufti Kifayatullah stood and demanded the imposition of TTP-style Sharia in the merged districts, he was not speaking for the Pashtuns, he was echoing the very language of terrorists who drenched this land in blood. And when he dared to call those terrorists “shaheed,” it was not just an insult to the Constitution of Pakistan, it was a dagger in the heart of every soldier, every civilian, every child who fell victim to TTP’s brutality.
Instead of condemning this poison, the Pashtun National Jirga (PNJ) chose the path of deception. They offered Kifayatullah their platform, allowed his extremist rhetoric to flow freely, and when the backlash came, they scrambled for cover by calling it his “personal opinion.” This is not neutrality, it is complicity. To host those who praise terrorists and then distance oneself when exposed is a double game, a cowardly attempt to normalize extremism in Pashtun society. The Jirga cannot wash its hands clean when its stage was used to undermine the sacrifices of thousands who laid down their lives so that peace could return to the tribal belt.
But perhaps more dangerous than the cleric or the Jirga is the PTM’s deception. Umar Pashteen, once again, came forward to defend Kifayatullah. In a carefully crafted illusion, he portrayed him as someone who simultaneously stood for Pashtun rights, defended Pakistan against India, and demanded Sharia law in line with TTP’s ideology. This is not balance, it is manipulation. PTM has long used Pashtun identity as a shield for anti-state elements, painting terrorists as misunderstood rebels and the Pakistan Army as an oppressor. By defending Kifayatullah, PTM revealed its hand yet again: they are not fighting for Pashtun dignity, they are fighting to protect those who killed Pashtun children, bombed their mosques, and enslaved their villages under terror.
The truth is beyond dispute. TTP is international and UN designated terrorist organizations. They have slaughtered thousands of Pashtuns, targeted schools, and murdered tribal elders who stood in their way. To call their fighters martyrs is to spit on the graves of the children of APS, to mock the mothers of soldiers who buried their sons with the flag of Pakistan draped over their coffins. The Constitution of Pakistan already guarantees Islam, justice, and equal rights. To demand “TTP-style Sharia” is not a call for faith, it is a call for anarchy, for bloodshed, for the return of tyranny in the name of religion.
Moreover, the religious view on TTP and its so-called ideology is crystal clear, as more than 1800 religious scholars agree in Paigham-e-Pakistan, that armed rebellion against the state is Haram and TTP is nothing but a terrorist organization that misuse and misinterpret Islam.
When 1,800 religious scholars have declared TTP a terrorist organization, the statements of a political figure like Mufti Kifayatullah, who tries to use religious card every now and then, hold no logical weight.
Paigham-e-Pakistan is also explicit in its identification of the Khawarij, labeling them as those who manipulate religion and stand outside the fold of Islam. This raises a direct question for Mufti Kifayatullah: if the Khawarij are not even considered Muslims, how can their members be glorified as ‘Ghazi’ or ‘Shaheed’? By defending such extremists, Mufti Kifayatullah not only provides cover for terrorism but also undermines Islamic principles to appease his hostile patrons.
Pashtun National Jirga and PTM together play a dangerous game. They invite extremists, provide them a stage, and when the truth surfaces, they retreat behind excuses and denials. But each time they do this, they embolden radicals and weaken the unity of Pashtun society. Their narrative is designed not to heal wounds, but to reopen them. They profit in dollars and political mileage by exploiting the tragedies of Pashtun children, while the state invests in rebuilding schools, hospitals, and roads in the very areas once strangled by terror. The contrast could not be sharper.
True Pashtun rights do not come through the words of clerics who glorify killers, nor through PTM’s propaganda against Pakistan’s institutions. Real dignity, real progress, lies in peace and stability. It lies in development projects that have brought electricity, education, and connectivity to once-forgotten valleys. It lies in a Constitution that binds all Pakistanis together, Pashtun, Punjabi, Sindhi, Baloch, and others, under one flag, one law, one destiny. The Pakistan Army, with all its sacrifices, has proven time and again that it is not the enemy of Pashtuns, but their shield against those who call themselves “mujahideen” while shedding Pashtun blood.
Every time PTM defends a radical voice, every time PNJ excuses extremist rhetoric, they betray their own people. They betray the mothers of Miranshah who wept over the coffins of their children. They betray the soldiers who fought in the mountains to ensure peace in Waziristan. They betray the Constitution that guarantees them equal citizenship. And in doing so, they reveal their true allegiance, not to Pashtuns, not to Pakistan, but to terrorists who wish to divide and weaken both.
Pakistan does not differentiate between its people. A child in Mir Ali is as precious as a child in Lahore; a soldier from Khyber is as beloved as one from Multan. It is this unity that extremists fear the most. No falsehood, no propaganda, no cleric’s sermon, and no movement’s slogan can break the bond between Pakistan and its Pashtun heartland. The soil of Waziristan is soaked with sacrifice, but it also carries the strength of its martyrs, the prayers of its mothers, and the unity of its people. That is why those who aim to divide will fail. Pakistan stands, unshaken, and with it stands the Pashtun nation, resilient, proud, and forever united.
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this article are exclusively those of the author and do not reflect the official stance, policies, or perspectives of the Platform.
