PTM’s Brussels Show, A Propaganda Disguised as Advocacy

PTM’s Brussels Show, A Propaganda Disguised as Advocacy

A group of PTM representatives and their supporters recently gathered in Brussels, trying to use European platforms, even the European Parliament to blame Pakistan. They framed it as a “human rights campaign,” but when one really listens to what they said, it is pretty clear this was less about justice, and was more about politics. They repeated the same old claims about enforced disappearances and “state oppression,” trying to make Pakistan look like the villain in front of foreign policymakers. These policymakers do not always understand the full picture.
Besides, what is frustrating is how predictable this has become. Every time Pakistan makes progress in restoring peace or rebuilding in areas like Waziristan and Bajaur, PTM shows up abroad painting it as something dark and oppressive.

Hence, it is not advocacy but is a propaganda that benefits the very extremists our people have spent decades fighting.

Twisting Facts, Ignoring Sacrifices

Moving forward, the reality is that no one can deny the fact that Pakistan has paid a huge price in the fight against terrorism. Over 94,000 people including civilians, soldiers, and police have been martyred. Entire communities in the tribal belt suffered through war, so that the rest of the country could have peace. And now, when life is slowly returning to normal in these areas, PTM goes to Europe to act like Pakistan is still waging a war on its own people. This is not just misleading, but it is insulting to every family which has lost someone to TTP’s bombs and bullets.
The Pashtun community, in particular, has been through hell. They were the ones living under the shadow of militants. Also, they were the ones who stood by the military to push them out. However, PTM acts as if these terrorists were misunderstood victims. Thus, it is a twisted version of reality, which turns murderers into martyrs and paints Pakistan as the aggressor.

Who Really Gains from This?

Moreover, every time PTM attacks Pakistan’s image abroad, someone benefits. And the beneficiaries are not the common Pashtun or the people of KP. These are the banned outfits, the hostile lobbies, and those who have been trying for years to destabilize Pakistan. When PTM repeats their accusations in Western capitals, they give these actors a readymade narrative. The narrative is that Pakistan is the problem for all these enemies of the country.
Nevertheless, in Brussels, PTM’s leaders did not talk about TTP’s ongoing attacks, or about the families who still live in fear because of terrorist networks. They did not talk about schools rebuilding or refugees returning home. But they focused entirely on portraying the state as an oppressor. Thus, this kind of talk gives extremists a political cover.

The “Human Rights” Card

Similarly, there is something especially cynical about how PTM plays the human rights card. “Human rights” is a powerful phrase, and it gets attention fast, especially in places like Europe. But using it selectively, to smear one’s own country while ignoring the real killers of people, is not advocacy. But it is manipulation.
Besides, it is worth remembering that European lawmakers and activists do not always know Pakistan’s full context. Many rely on what they are told in these briefings or events. PTM takes advantage of that gap. They feed them with half-truths that sound credible from a far, but crumble when one looks closer. Meanwhile, real human rights initiatives like rebuilding schools, resettling displaced people, and de-radicalizing youth get drowned out by political noise.

Undermining Pakistan’s Sovereignty

Further, dragging internal issues to foreign parliaments crosses a line. Every democracy has space for dissent, but PTM seems more interested in embarrassing Pakistan abroad than improving things at home. If they genuinely cared about the people of the tribal districts, they would have engaged through local institutions, not through foreign lobbies that barely know where Waziristan is on the map.
Also, there is a dignity aspect here. The Pashtun people are known for their pride, honor, and resilience. They have been part of Pakistan’s backbone in every crisis including wars and natural disasters. Hence, seeing PTM’s leadership stand on foreign stages echoing narratives which come straight from Pakistan’s enemies feels like a betrayal of that spirit.

What Peace Really Looks Like

On top of that, when one visits Waziristan or Bajaur today, they will notice kids back in school, markets reopening, and roads being rebuilt. All this did not happen by accident. It happened because thousands of Pakistanis fought and died to drive out terrorists. Thus, peace was earned, not gifted.
However, PTM’s story ignores all of that. They make it sound like Pakistan’s fight against terrorism was an attack on Pashtuns themselves. In reality, it was the exact opposite. This war was fought to protect them, to make sure their villages were no longer controlled by extremists, who banned girls from school and executed dissenters in public squares.

Calling It What It Is

So, when PTM stands in Brussels crying “oppression,” what they are really doing is feeding a false story to an international audience which does not know the reality better. This is not patriotism or advocacy, but that is playing politics with pain. It gives foreign powers an excuse to poke their noses into Pakistan’s internal matters, and gives terrorists the validation they crave.
At the end of the day, Pakistan’s struggle has never been against its own people. It has been against the ideology of terror. The military, police, and civilians who sacrificed everything were not fighting Pashtuns, but they were fighting for them.
Thus, what PTM is doing now, dressing up propaganda as activism, disrespects that sacrifice and weakens the unity that got us this far.

The truth is simple. Pakistan’s peace was built on blood and resilience.

Hence, anyone trying to rewrite that story is not serving justice. Instead, they are serving an agenda.