Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his predecessor Hamid Karzai have expressed concern over the arrest of Manzoor Pashteen, a Pakistani student activist and leader of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement.
Pashteen was arrested by police from Peshawar on Monday on a number of charges, including “sedition.”
His arrest was criticized by President Ghani who called for immediate release.
“While our region is suffering from atrocities caused by violent extremism and terrorism governments in the region must support and encourage peaceful civilian movements for justice and must avoid any means of force and violence against these movements,” Ghani said on Twitter.
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai also expressed “deep concern” over Pashteen’s arrest.
“While our region is suffering from extremism & violence, the detention of activists who peacefully campaign for the correction of wrongs could deepen the crisis. I call on the Govt of Pakistan to immediately release Mr Pashteen and his colleagues,” Karzai said on Twitter.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry responded to Ghani’s tweet, describing it as an unwarranted interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs.
“Such statements are not helpful to the promotion of good neighborly relations … and urges the Afghan side to work together for the common objective of peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region,” the ministry said in a statement.
