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Islamabad, July 10, 2024 – Gilaman Wazir, a prominent Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) activist and young Pashto poet, has succumbed to his injuries at PIMS Hospital in Islamabad, as confirmed by PTM in a statement and his family members.
Wazir was attacked last Sunday in Islamabad by a group of individuals who struck him on the head with a rod. He was subsequently admitted to PIMS Hospital, where he underwent surgery. Despite medical intervention, he remained on a life support machine, fighting for his life over the past four days, according to PTM leader Manzoor Pashteen.
PTM has filed a First Information Report (FIR) with the Islamabad police, accusing ‘Azad Dawar’ and several others of orchestrating the attack on Wazir on July 7. Dawar, hailing from North Waziristan and currently based in Islamabad, is affiliated with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Despite the serious nature of these allegations, the Islamabad police have yet to comment on the incident or make any arrests.
Close friends of Wazir informed The Pashtun Times that both Wazir and Dawar had a personal conflict in the past, which reportedly escalated when Dawar once hit Wazir’s car. The incident took place on June 17, 2024 in Datakhel of North Waziristan when Wazir and his friends were campaigning for Razmak Jalsa. Further details about the attack and its motives remain unclear. However, PTM leader Manzoor Pashteen stated that the manner in which Gilaman was struck from behind on his head was identical to the method used in the killings of Arman Loni and Usman Kakar. Furthermore, the lack of progress by the police in apprehending the suspects suggests that Gilaman’s death was part of a deliberate strategy or state complicity.
Gilaman Wazir was a celebrated Pashtun activist and poet, known for his melodic and harmonious compositions. The attack and his subsequent death have sparked significant outrage and sorrow on social media and among the Pashtun community in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Europe, and the US. However, his tragic story has been completely blacked out in Pakistan’s state media.
Soon after the attack and his admission to the hospital, numerous PTM members and human rights activists gathered in front of PIMS Hospital, demanded better medical treatment for Wazir. Efforts to secure an air ambulance for his transfer were thwarted due to Wazir’s name being on the Exit Control List (ECL), a restriction imposed on various human rights activists, particularly those associated with the PTM. The incident has garnered significant attention on social media, with the hashtag #EvacuateGilamanWazir2Germany trending on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Exiled Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and former Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack on Gilaman Wazir.
https://x.com/ashrafghani/status/1810586978108223753
Afghan cricket stars Rashid Khan, Rahman Ullah Gurbaz and Muhammad Nabi have also expressed their sympathies for Wazir on social media.
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1027861575366547&set=a.275668790585833
Born in 1992 in Asadkhel near Razmak in North Waziristan, Gilaman Wazir faced significant challenges due to his activism. His commitment to highlighting human rights abuses and advocating for the dignity of the Pashtun community made him a frequent target of arrests and harassment by state authorities. Despite these adversities, he remained a steadfast and prominent figure within the PTM.
In March 2020, Wazir was deported from Bahrain to Pakistan due to his activism. Upon arrival at Multan airport, he was immediately arrested and subsequently disappeared. He was later found in Bannu Central Jail, where authorities coerced him to cease his activism. Nevertheless, he appeared at a PTM rally in Bannu a day after his release, vocally criticizing Pakistan’s military.
PTM leader Manzoor Pashteen, addressing a gathering at PIMS Hospital, recounted how Wazir was arrested on July 4, 2023, in Peshawar and tortured at Miranshah internment center. Wazir endured severe mistreatment, including electric shocks and a dog bite in the internment center that left a permanent scar on his right leg. Despite these hardships, his resolve to fight for human rights in war-affected areas of Pakistan only strengthened.
Gilaman Wazir was known for his kindness and friendliness, always ready to voice the concerns of the voiceless in the Pashtun belt across the Durand Line. He leaves behind a wife, five childern including two sons and three daughters, his elder brother Arafat Wazir confirmed. His death underscores the ongoing tensions and the precarious situation faced by human rights activists in Pakistan. The PTM continues to call for justice and better protection for its members as they advocate for the rights of the Pashtun people.
Darvaish Afridi, a professor at Peshawar University, lamented the attack, stating it was an assault on the feelings and emotions of the Pashtun nation. The global Pashtun community mourns his loss, recognizing the profound impact of his activism and poetry.
Gilaman Wazir’s legacy as a poet of melody and harmony, and as a tireless advocate for human rights, will continue to inspire many within and beyond the Pashtun community.
The following lines from his poem depict his feelings of love and awareness for his oppressed Pashtun people and their suffering at the hands of the oppressors:
ستا پۀ بیلتون دومره غمجن یمه چې حد نهٔ لری
پۀ ماشوم زړۀ داسې خوږمن یمه چې حد نهٔ لری
که ئې پۀ مینه کښې پۀ دار شمه پروه مې نشته
پۀ پشتون قام دومره مئین یمه چې حـد نهٔ لری
د پښتانو پۀ قتلِ عام خاموش مَلک او مُلا
له تاسو دومره ګیلامن یمه چې حد نهٔ لری
