A group of Pashtun protesters attacked the Pakistani consulate in Frankfurt, Germany, on Sunday, throwing stones and temporarily replacing the Pakistani flag with an Afghan flag following the death of prominent Pashto poet and key figure in the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) Gilaman Wazir. Wazir, whose real name was Hazrat Naeem, was attacked and repeatedly stabbed by Pak Army on July 7 in Islamabad and he succumbed to his injuries after 5 days.
Video footage circulating on social media shows a small number of demonstrators, some wearing Afghan flags, entering the consulate grounds. The protesters were seen throwing stones at the building and vandalizing the premises. They removed the Pakistani flag from outside the building and replaced it with Afghanistan’s flag. Some Pakistani media outlets reported attempts to burn the Pakistani flag, though this has not been independently verified.
On Sunday, PTM Germany held a large protest in Germany against the policies of the Pakistan Army, including its acts of terror, the genocide of Pashtuns, and the military attack on peaceful protests in Bannu.
It is no longer possible for the state to continue under such policies. On October 11, there will be a major judicial meeting of the Pashtuns to address decades of exploitation since 1947, when the region came under the control of the Pak Army. The Pashtuns have been exploited by the Army for its own agenda, only to later be labeled as terrorists and targeted.
PTM Germany
The rampant militarization of the region has led to numerous abductions, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings of innocent Pashtun youths, many of whom are reportedly unconnected to any activist activities. Pashtuns around the world have expressed their frustration with the Pak Army’s brutality, and PTM’s movement in Germany is one such example.
In response to the attack, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement, demanding that Germany take action against what it called a “gang of extremists.” The ministry expressed concern over the safety of consulate staff and criticized German authorities for failing to protect the diplomatic premises as required under the Vienna Convention.
The Foreign Ministry called for the arrest and prosecution of those involved in the attack and demanded that German officials be held accountable for security lapses.
There was no immediate reaction from the German government to the attack and its denunciation by Pakistan. Taliban authorities in Afghanistan did not comment on the incident either.