Pakistan: Massive protests erupt as four Pashtun youths killed; bodies mutilated by Pak Army

In Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, massive protests erupted as thousands of tribal Pashtuns gathered in the Jani Khel region angered over the brutal murder of four Pashtun youths from the region on Sunday.

The four youths, whose mutilated bodies were found in the open field near an army camp, were allegedly picked on the pretext of espionage by Pak-backed TTP.

Some say the army had direct involvement. People also suspect they were traumatized sexually before being hacked to death. After the news broke, the family, relatives and tens of hundreds of native Pashtuns are holding a sit-in with their mutilated corpses. The authorities are yet to issue a statement.

Locals accuse the Pakistan army and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), whom the army and the establishment label as people’s and country’s enemy are operating hand in glove to suppress the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement.

“GHQ guards are the killers of the Pashtun nation. A few days ago in Jani Khel, Bannu, Good Taliban kidnapped four minor boys on suspicion of espionage and today their tortured bodies were found,” a social media user Fazal Rehman Wazir said on Twitter.

“Heart-wrenching graphics of mutilated bodies of 4 minors 4m #janikhel r circulating on social media. Reportedly they were missing 4m last 1 month. The area was cleared 4m terrorists back in 2009 in a military operation however till the day the area is the hub of all kinds of terrorists,” another social media user Hai Pashteen posted on Twitter.

Pashtun leaders have time and again accused the Pakistan army of carrying out violence in the region with impunity. They say the army, which has over deployed troops in the name of regional security from terrorists has in fact provided them patronage in carrying out attacks against minority tribal population.