AfPak File: What's Next For Pakistan's Pashtun Tahafuz Movement?

The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) is a Pakistani civil society group that advocates for better rights for Pakistan’s Pashtuns, and particularly in the country’s tribal belt.

In recent weeks, tensions have grown between the PTM and Pakistan’s powerful military, and particularly since a deadly incident at a military checkpoint in North Waziristan on May 26.

The PTM and its supporters accuse the military of opening fire on unarmed PTM protestors, while the military and PTM critics claim that armed PTM members attacked the checkpoint and fired on soldiers.

The latest edition of the AfPak File discusses the significance of the PTM; its implications for the state; and what might be coming next.

Joining the discussion are Ijaz Khan Khattak, former professor and chairman of the Department of International Relations at Peshawar University; Ahsan Hamid Durrani, chairman of the Emerging Policymakers Institute in Islamabad; and Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program and senior associate for South Asia at the Wilson Center.

Muhammad Tahir, media manager at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, moderates the discussion.

This podcast originally appeared on RFE/RL.