AfPak File: Amid An Intensifying Crackdown, What's Next For Pakistan's Pashtun Tahafuz Movement?

In recent weeks, the Pakistani state has intensified a crackdown against the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), a prominent Pashtun rights group.

At the end of January, the PTM's top leader, Manzoor Pashteen, was arrested. Other members of the group have been detained too. Additionally, Pakistan has continued to limit media coverage of the PTM.

The latest episode of The AfPak File Podcast focuses on where things stand with the PTM, the possible reasons behind the crackdown, and what could be next for the movement.

Panelists include Mohsin Dawar, a top PTM leader and member of Pakistan's legislative National Assembly; Ahsan Hamid Durrani, chair of the Emerging Policymakers Institute in Islamabad; Pamir Shahill, a journalist with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Mashaal Radio; and Michael Kugelman, Asia Program deputy director and senior associate for South Asia at the Wilson Center.

Muhammad Tahir, media manager for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Washington DC, moderates the discussion.

This podcast originally appeared on RFE/RL.