Hon. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi,

I am writing to express my grave concern regarding the enforced disappearance of activists Hanif Pashteen and Noor Ullah Tareen, two members of civil rights movement Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), who were taken into police custody on 12 November 2025 as they left the Provincial Assembly in Peshawar. They were participating in an assembly, convened by the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as community representatives. During the proceedings, their delegation was denied the opportunity to present their views and as a result they boycotted the session and exited the assembly premises.

Immediately after exiting the assembly, the delegation was intercepted by police personnel. Eyewitness accounts confirm that the Capital City Police Officer of Peshawar was present at the scene and issued instructions for seven members of the delegation, including Hanif Pashteen and Noor Ullah Tareen, to be taken in police vehicles. After being taken, the whereabouts of all seven individuals were not known. On 18 January 2026, the other five forcibly disappeared people were released from Attock Jail in Punjab. However, Hanif Pashteen and Noor Ullah Tareen remain subjected to enforced disappearance. Since then, their whereabouts remain unknown and their family members have not been informed of any formal charges.

Their enforced disappearance is a violation of the rights to liberty and to a fair trial, and are in themselves a violation of international law, raising serious concerns for their life, safety and well-being. Given their secret detention, I am particularly concerned about the risk of torture or other ill‑treatment, and other serious human rights violations. The lack of transparency about their whereabouts and the conditions of their detentions heightens these concerns.

Their continued disappearance is part of a larger crackdown against the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement and its members, including arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances.

I respectfully urge you to ensure that the whereabouts of Hanif Pashteen and Noor Ullah Tareen are immediately disclosed to their family members, and that they are unconditionally released. I trust your commitment to justice and human rights will guide your actions to urgently address these grave concerns.

Yours sincerely,