A prominent figure of the PTM and a member of the national assembly, Ali Wazir was arrested last year after being accused of participating in an attack on an army check post in North Waziristan. Authorities in Pakistan have been accused of cracking down on the workers and leaders of the movement fighting for Pashtun rights

Pashteen is associated with the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) and had led massive public gathering in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on January 12 to demand justice for the persecuted Pashtun community in Pakistan

The Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) has called for unity among the Pashtun leadership, and has declared that another such public gathering will be held in Balochistan on the death anniversary of PTM leader Arman Loni on February 6