Pakistan Faces Fresh Scrutiny Over PTM Activists’ Forced Vanishings

International human rights watchdog Amnesty International has renewed pressure on Pakistan after another prominent member of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement went missing. Faridullah Afridi was reportedly taken from Peshawar on the evening of 18 May, adding to a pattern of enforced disappearances that the group says is designed to silence critics. The organization noted that authorities have ignored repeated family appeals for information and have failed to open any formal inquiry. Amnesty International reminded Islamabad that such incidents are not isolated but reflect a systematic campaign against PTM members. It pointed to the earlier detention of Hanif Pashteen and Noorullah Tareen outside the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly and warned that secret custody increases the danger of ill-treatment. The rights group demanded an urgent, transparent investigation, immediate release if the activist is in official hands, and accountability for perpetrators. It stressed that Pakistan must respect its obligations under global human rights law.