PTM not an issue but few individuals exploiting sentiments of people: Army chief

PTM not an issue but few individuals exploiting sentiments of people: Army chief

Peshawar (Agencies): Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa on has said the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) is itself not an issue but few individuals are pursuing foreign agenda and exploiting the sentiments of terror victims.

“The Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement itself is not an issue. The issues being highlighted are genuine and natural in post operation environment,” the ISPR quoted the army chief as saying during an interaction with university students at the Corps Auditorium, Peshawar on Thursday.

“However, few individuals playing in foreign hands are by design exploiting sentiments of the people who have actually suffered at the hands of terrorism and now need care.”

The army chief's remarks come days after the military's spokesperson at a press conference read out a charge sheet against PTM, accusing the Pashtun ethnic rights movement of receiving funds from foreign intelligence agencies and hinting at a possible action against it.

The army chief reiterated that both the government and the security forces were working to address the issues of the people of tribal areas without any discrimination.