ali wazir Archives - Dissent Today https://dissenttoday.net/tag/ali-wazir/ Speaking Truth to Power Mon, 21 Oct 2024 05:00:48 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Ex-Lawmaker Ali Wazir’s Continued Incarceration is Our Collective Failure https://dissenttoday.net/opinion/ali-wazir-pakistan-army-ptm/ https://dissenttoday.net/opinion/ali-wazir-pakistan-army-ptm/#respond Mon, 21 Oct 2024 05:00:48 +0000 https://dissenttoday.net/?p=8642 One has lost count of how many times Pakistan’s former lawmaker, Ali Wazir, has been arrested or forcibly disappeared. Even when he was a member of the National Assembly, he was not spared from persistent targeting by the state. It is important to remember that Wazir has lost more than ten family members to terrorism […]

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]]> One has lost count of how many times Pakistan’s former lawmaker, Ali Wazir, has been arrested or forcibly disappeared. Even when he was a member of the National Assembly, he was not spared from persistent targeting by the state. It is important to remember that Wazir has lost more than ten family members to terrorism due to conflicts imposed by the state upon his people repeatedly, for no purpose other than the enrichment of a few.

Despite the treatment he and his family members have endured from the state, Wazir chose to represent his people’s voice in Pakistan’s Parliament, even though the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), the civil rights movement with which he was affiliated at the time, opposes parliamentary politics. His presence in the Parliament meant that the way the state treated Wazir and the importance it attached to his voice and grievances could have gone a long way in healing decades of wounds inflicted on the people of his province by manufactured conflicts. It could also have helped build the trust of the people of Wazir’s constituency in the state institutions that are ostensibly made for the people, by the people. But the right to representation for the 150,000 voters of South Waziristan did not matter. The state decided to punish Wazir for exercising his right to freedom of expression. In doing so, it sent a clear message: that peaceful resistance against state oppression has no space. Worse still, it cemented the perception and grievance of the Pashtun people that Pakistan’s institutions, including its Parliament, have no real room for them or their voices.

When Wazir was arrested in December 2020, he was kept behind bars on around four different charges, despite being granted bail by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He was eventually released two years and two months after his arrest. A few months after his release in February 2023, he was arrested once again in June of that year. He was released only to be re-arrested in a series of cases lodged against him from August to September 2023. While I had the great honor of being his co-accused in three of the cases lodged against him in Islamabad during that period, my gender and domicile made it difficult for our captors to continue my ordeal. However, Wazir continued to be arrested and re-arrested thereafter, facing charges in at least two other cases. Finally, when he was released, he had just a few months of freedom before being subjected to further detention—this time under the draconian Maintenance of Public Order (MPO), first issued in Rawalpindi and then in Gujrat. This cycle of new cases under the MPO began after he was arrested in August 2024 in connection with three different cases in Islamabad—accident, narcotics, and 7 ATA. The lack of outrage over Wazir’s prolonged incarceration reflects our national mindset, which believes that some lives are more worthy of respect and protection than others. This explains why Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers in urban areas are arrested while PTM workers convening for their National Jirga in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are met with straight fire, killing four and injuring many others. Again, impunity reigns.

 

“It is irrelevant who is in government in Pakistan; so long as power is wielded from behind the scenes, there is no space for people like Ali Wazir. He has the wrong domicile, which allows the state to imprison him on trumped-up terror charges.”

 

There was a similar disconnect between Islamabad and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when many of Wazir’s family members were targeted by the Taliban. Islamabad was calling for military operations and narrative-building to justify Rawalpindi’s displacement, murder, and humiliation of the Pashtun people. It was deemed to be in the “greater national interest” and the “need of the hour” to root out terrorism “once and for all.” How many “once and for all”s there have been is now long forgotten. The military has played (and continues to play) the “good Taliban/bad Taliban” game, yet there is zero accountability for public money spent on a series of military operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Wazir has consistently, without any concern for personal consequences, raised his voice against this daylight robbery, the plunder, and the general ease with which the state has dehumanized the Pashtun people.

It is irrelevant who is in government in Pakistan; so long as power is wielded from behind the scenes, there is no space for people like Wazir. He has the wrong domicile, which allows the state to imprison him on trumped-up terror charges or under the MPO. No court can intervene, and no media will provide him with coverage. When he was in jail during his time as parliamentarian, successive speakers of the National Assembly forgot the term “Production Order.” Similarly, no court seems able to grasp the simple reality—that Wazir is neither a criminal nor a terrorist, and he is being punished solely for choosing not to compromise on his principles in the struggle for a life of dignity for the Pashtun people. For a country where there is no political consensus on basic issues of civilian supremacy and the rule of law, it is truly astounding how all political players appear to agree that Wazir must be permanently incarcerated. The courts where Wazir is presented—regardless of their location in the country—also seem to share the unanimous view that sham proceedings must continue. In this situation, more than “judicial reforms,” it appears that Pakistan is in desperate need of the complete dismantling of all its racist and unjust institutions that treat the liberty and dignity of the Pashtun people as disposable.

Condemned if they make it to Parliament. Condemned if they steer clear of parliamentary politics. Condemned if they cry. Condemned if they scream. Perpetually condemned for no reason other than the fact that they can be, because when has mainstream Pakistan ever shown collective compassion for the persecuted from the “peripheries”?

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]]> https://dissenttoday.net/opinion/ali-wazir-pakistan-army-ptm/feed/ 0 Imaan Mazari, Ali Wazir Handed Over To Counter Terrorism Department For 3-Day Remand https://dissenttoday.net/featured/imaan-mazari-ali-wazir-handed-over-to-counter-terrorism-department-for-3-day-remand/ https://dissenttoday.net/featured/imaan-mazari-ali-wazir-handed-over-to-counter-terrorism-department-for-3-day-remand/#respond Mon, 21 Aug 2023 06:40:27 +0000 https://dissenttoday.net/?p=4555 An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad has remanded human rights activist Imaan Mazari and former lawmaker Ali Wazir to the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD)’s custody for three days. Imaan Mazari and Ali Wazir were arrested on the wee hours of Monday a day after they spoke at a rally organized by Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) in […]

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]]> An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad has remanded human rights activist Imaan Mazari and former lawmaker Ali Wazir to the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD)’s custody for three days. Imaan Mazari and Ali Wazir were arrested on the wee hours of Monday a day after they spoke at a rally organized by Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) in Islamabad.

On Monday morning, they were presented before the anti-terrorism court after being booked on charges of terrorism. Former MNA Ali Wazir’s face was covered with a cloth as he appeared before the court.

In his statement to the court, Wazir said that he did not say anything objectionable during his speech at the rally in Islamabad. “We simply wanted to get our voices heard in Islamabad,” he added.

Imaan Mazari’s legal team told the court that they were not allowed to hold a meeting with her and sought the court’s permission to meet her. The anti-terrorism court then announced its verdict, remanding Ali Wazir and Imaan Mazari to the police for three days.

Both individuals have been booked after their participation in the PTM rally against enforced disappearances and terrorism held outside the Supreme Court on Friday. Ahead of the rally, workers and supporters of PTM were arrested on their way to Islamabad. The administration had also imposed Section 144 in the capital on the day of the rally.

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]]> https://dissenttoday.net/featured/imaan-mazari-ali-wazir-handed-over-to-counter-terrorism-department-for-3-day-remand/feed/ 0 Free At Last: MNA Ali Wazir Released After Two Years Of Incarceration https://dissenttoday.net/featured/free-at-last-mna-ali-wazir-released-after-two-years-of-incarceration/ https://dissenttoday.net/featured/free-at-last-mna-ali-wazir-released-after-two-years-of-incarceration/#respond Tue, 14 Feb 2023 12:03:03 +0000 https://dissenttoday.net/?p=1693 Karachi Central Jail on Tuesday released a Member of the National Assembly and Pashtun Tahafuz Movement leader Ali Wazir after two years of incarceration in sedition cases. Ali Wazir is finally released. “They said that I should apologise but let me tell them that my body and flesh will melt and my bones will be […]

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]]> Karachi Central Jail on Tuesday released a Member of the National Assembly and Pashtun Tahafuz Movement leader Ali Wazir after two years of incarceration in sedition cases.

The Peshawar High Court had earlier granted bail to Ali Wazir in a sedition case and also stopped the provincial police from arresting the lawmaker in other cases. On February 9th, the lawmaker’s release orders were issued, however, he was still kept in police custody,    drawing condemnation from politicians, and human rights activists.

Human rights defenders welcomed his release.


Journalist Murtaza Ali Shah said: “Pashtun leader Ali Wazir MNA comes out of jail smiling after 2 years of illegal arrest and captivity.”


Politician Bushra Gohar said: “Welcome!!! A case should be registered against those who filed fake cases against #MNA #AliWazir & kept him in jail for more than 2 years, depriving his constituency of representation in Parliament. #Article6 #RestoreDemocracy”


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“Ali Wazir is finally released after more than 2 years of unjust incarceration, and 11 false cases. He was punished for demanding an end to impunity. — Congratulations to Wazir, his family and the constituents of NA-50,” said a social media user.

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]]> https://dissenttoday.net/featured/free-at-last-mna-ali-wazir-released-after-two-years-of-incarceration/feed/ 0 Netizens Question Pashtun MNA Ali Wazir’s ‘Illegal’ Imprisonment Despite Release Orders https://dissenttoday.net/featured/netizens-question-pashtun-mna-ali-wazirs-illegal-imprisonment-despite-release-orders/ https://dissenttoday.net/featured/netizens-question-pashtun-mna-ali-wazirs-illegal-imprisonment-despite-release-orders/#respond Mon, 13 Feb 2023 11:50:54 +0000 https://dissenttoday.net/?p=1670 Netizens on Monday questioned Member National Assembly and Pashtun Tahafuz Movement leader Ali Wazir’s imprisonment after the court had issued his release orders. The Peshawar High Court granted bail to leader Ali Wazir in a sedition case and also stopped the provincial police from arresting the lawmaker in other cases. Journalist Mubashir Zaidi said that “Sindh […]

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]]> Netizens on Monday questioned Member National Assembly and Pashtun Tahafuz Movement leader Ali Wazir’s imprisonment after the court had issued his release orders.

The Peshawar High Court granted bail to leader Ali Wazir in a sedition case and also stopped the provincial police from arresting the lawmaker in other cases.

Journalist Mubashir Zaidi said that “Sindh Police have detained Ali Wazir illegally since his written release orders were issued on February 9th”.


A social media user said: “Ali Wazir’s bail order has been received by the Sindh Home Department on February 9, due to which they cannot keep Ali Wazir for a minute in Karachi. Seems that they are waiting for #HajiSaab, if PM, Speaker of NA are so helpless then don’t make joker of civilian govt.”


Former senator Afrasiab Khattak said the “Court order of Ali’s release after his bail went from DIK, KP. His lawyers have been visiting the Sindh home dep on daily basis where they face excuses such as “only the home secretary can open the letter and he is busy”. Yes going yet again to the court is the final option.”

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]]> https://dissenttoday.net/featured/netizens-question-pashtun-mna-ali-wazirs-illegal-imprisonment-despite-release-orders/feed/ 0 4 Steps Pakistan Military Needs To Take To Prove It Has Stopped Political Interference https://dissenttoday.net/opinion/4-steps-pakistan-military-needs-to-take-to-prove-it-has-stopped-political-interference/ https://dissenttoday.net/opinion/4-steps-pakistan-military-needs-to-take-to-prove-it-has-stopped-political-interference/#respond Sat, 26 Nov 2022 08:33:54 +0000 https://dissenttoday.net/?p=745 Outgoing Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s admission that the military did interfere in politics before February 2021 has vindicated many voices who had been critical of the establishment’s role from day one. It is worth remembering that not too long ago, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which is now a critic of the military, […]

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]]> Outgoing Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s admission that the military did interfere in politics before February 2021 has vindicated many voices who had been critical of the establishment’s role from day one. It is worth remembering that not too long ago, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which is now a critic of the military, used to demonise activists and commentators who called out the establishment for political engineering in 2018 elections and over its other transgressions. Journalists and activists who faced violence during the ‘hybrid regime’ (when PTI was proud of being on the ‘same page’ with the military) were gaslit by the then government. It is clear that the PTI’s newfound opposition to the establishment is rooted in the military’s withdrawal of support to former prime minister Imran Khan, who was dependent on the institution to stay in power.

That being said, the Pakistan Army cannot redeem itself by merely stating that it committed unconstitutional activities and will avoid them in the future. If General (retd) Bajwa’s statement is actually a step towards course correction, Pakistan Army will have to prove that it is disengaging itself from politics. Apart from putting an end to the act of favouring and/or disfavouring political parties, this policy-shift (if there is one) should also include ending the practice of pressuring courts, manipulating media and threatening independent activists and journalists. The institution needs to show that it has begun respecting civl liberties.

Pakistan Army will be truly believed to have stopped going beyond its constitutionally-mandated role if the following steps are taken:

1) Release Ali Wazir

An elected member of the parliament, Ali Wazir, is in jail on fabricated charges since December 2020. The fact that even bails granted to him in the many sedition cases registered against him do not guarantee his release from prison means that it is the military’s decision to keep him behind bars. Sindh government and even Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari have expressed their inability to do something about the continued persecution of an elected parliamentarian. If the establishment no longer believes in meddling in politics, Ali Wazir should be released and mistreatment of ethnic minorities and their representatives must end.

2) End persecution of activist Gulalai Ismail’s parents

Human rights activist Gulalai Ismail who had to flee Pakistan after continued death threats over her anti-establishment activism is often seeing sharing photos of her elderly parents outside anti-terrorism court where they have to appear regularly for hearings of terrorism and sedition cases registered against them. The elderly couple is being punished for their daughter’s fearless advocacy of the Pashtun community. Since the establishment can no longer harm Gulalai because she managed to leave the country unharmed, they resorted to persecuting her parents. The cases against the couple are malicious and must be withdrawn if the military is serious about restoring its image.

3) End all forms of surveillance

Surveillance by the establishment is considered a norm in Pakistan, and secret videos of politicians and public figures are recorded and later used to blackmail them. Apart from politicians, activists and journalists are also routinely followed and their phones tapped. This surveillance is sometimes used as a scare tactic, and threatening calls from untraceable numbers are made to journalists and activists. This practice of intimidating dissenting voices into silence is another habit that the establishment must overcome if it wants the public to believe the former army chief’s statement.

4) Start respecting the Constitution

Every few months, pro-military accounts and even some commentators on TV start floating the idea of Presidential system in Pakistan, saying that it is the only way to ‘save’ the country. Petitions demanding the same are filed in the courts by the usual suspects. If the military has truly disengaged itself from politics, such narrative-building to confuse the nation and undermine the democratic system in the country must also end. Under the Constitution, Pakistan is a parliamentary democracy and experiments of presidential system done in the past have failed and even led to the breakup of the country. The establishment should therefore stop its stooges in the media, who are often planted as ‘defence analysts,’ from undermining Pakistan’s Constitution.

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