The Pakistan Army’s relentless violence against the Pashtun population continues to claim innocent lives, both human and animal, in the heavily militarized region of Waziristan. In the latest incident, more than 25 cows and buffaloes were killed by mortar fire in Mir Ali, North Waziristan, as Pakistan’s Army indiscriminately bombarded residential areas. The livestock, caught in the crossfire of the Army’s artillery shelling, were burned alive in a cattle market—another grim reminder of the occupied-state’s cruel policies that now extend beyond human casualties.
The Army’s systematic persecution in Pashtunkhwa has spared neither the people nor their means of survival. The Pashtuns of Waziristan, who have long been victims of the Paki establishment’s militarization and exploitation, now find their very livelihoods under attack. The Punjabi Pak Army’s daily shelling of civilian areas is part of a broader campaign to destabilize the region, ensuring that it remains under military control while continuing to exploit its people and natural resources.
In recent weeks, the brutality has escalated even further. Just 13 days ago, two Pashtun were killed, and seven others were injured when the Army shelled a pine nuts forest in South Waziristan’s Birmal area. Less than a week later, a 15-year-old girl was killed by shelling from a Pak Army gunship helicopter in the Tirah Maidan region near the Afghan border. These are not isolated incidents but part of a calculated effort to suppress and depopulate a resource-rich region.
Military Shelling Wipes Out Pashtun Livestock
The Paki establishment, loaded with the Punjabi military elite, has a long history of exploiting the other ethnics, especially Baloch and Pashtuns while using them as pawns in its so-called fight against terrorism. Waziristan, once a vibrant hub of Pashtun culture and resilience, is now an epicenter of devastation, riddled with military checkpoints, artillery fire, and indiscriminate bombing campaigns. Under the guise of security operations, the Army has unleashed a reign of terror that includes forced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and systematic exploitation of local resources.
This is not just a military occupation but a war economy designed to sustain the Army’s control over Pashtun lands. The Army’s indiscriminate violence is part of a broader strategy to keep the region unstable, allowing for continued exploitation while denying the Pashtuns their rights. The endless cycle of violence and destruction serves to further marginalize the Pashtuns, who have been subjected to decades of humiliation, ethnic profiling, and systemic discrimination.
The time has come for the international community to recognize the atrocities being committed by the Pak military in Pashtun territories. The exploitation of resources, the use of Pashtuns as cannon fodder in a never-ending war, and the destruction of both human lives and livelihoods must be condemned. The Punjabi-Pak Army cannot continue to wage war on its own people with impunity.