Thousands of Pashtuns gathered outside the press club in Islamabad and chanted Azadi (Freedom) slogans by highlighting human rights violations against the community.

The participants of the Pashtun sit-in have refused to budge from their stated position until the government accepts their “five-point charter of demand” and arrest the suspended Malir SSP, Rao Anwar, besides ensuring the rule of law in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

They undertook a Long March demanding justice for Naqeeb Mahsood, a Pashtun killed in a fake police encounter on January 13 in Karachi.

The participants were of the view that ‘Naqeeb Shaheed’ is the name of a movement, while Rao Anwar is the name of the system; they resolved to continue the movement until the cleansing of the system from the criminals, like Rao Anwar, who bring bad name to the country.

The peaceful sit-in of the Pashtuns staged in front of the National Press Club, Islamabad, entered the third day on Saturday whereas the strength of the participants have also witnessed a drastic increase after people from across the country started joining the protest.

Police had put forged charges against Naqeeb with having links with terrorist groups like Jashkar-e-Jhangvi and Islamic State of Syria and Iraq.

The false claim was challenged by the family and relatives of Naqeeb Mahsood and subsequently, an inquiry commission was established by the government of Sindh province to investigate the police encounter.

The investigation team has announced Naqeeb innocent and killed in fake police encounter.

The participants complained that the people of FATA have been passing through an ordeal for the last 12 years. They are being killed, humiliated, and all their belonging is being burnt to ashes but no one can question the patriotism of the people of FATA, they added.

In the backdrop of discriminations against the Pashtun community, the participants demanded that they should be given equal status and equal rights.

The Long March was joined by more than 10,000 Pashtuns from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan provinces.

A protester said, this is a beginning of the movement against the barbarism which this government is committing for the past 15 years in FATA, Waziristan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Today, we have announced that we will be not going to face this barbarism anymore".

Another protester said while addressing a gathering, "the people of this region are not the terrorists, but this government is a terrorist, which represents the elite class of Punjab".

The participants of the Pashtun sit-in have refused to budge from their stated position until the government accepts their 'five-point charter of demand' and arrest the suspended Malir SSP, Rao Anwar, besides ensuring the rule of law in the FATA.