Did Punjabi-Dominated Pak Army Deliberately Bomb Pashtun Civilians In Khyber Pakhtunkhawa? Exclusive

Last Updated:September 22, 2025, 19:37 IST

Akakhel tribe of Tirah has decided that women victims will be buried, while bodies of men, children will be placed in front of the Corps Commander House, say local, intel sources

BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya posted purported pictures of the alleged air strikes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region’s Tirah Valley on September 22. (Image: @amitmalviya/X)

Pakistan’s airstrikes targeting the hideouts of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and adjacent districts on Monday, which killed at least 30 civilians, have exposed the divide between Punjabis and Pashtuns in the country.

Around 2 am, Pakistani fighter jets dropped eight LS-6 bombs on Matre Dara village in the Tirah Valley, killing civilians. The Akakhel tribe of Tirah has decided that women victims will be buried, while bodies of men and children will be placed in front of the Corps Commander House, according to local sources.

According to local sources, many in KP believe that the Pakistan Army, dominated by Punjabis, deliberately bombed Pashtun civilian areas.

ALSO READ | Pak’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Attack: Bodies Will Be Placed In Front Of Corps Commander House | Exclusive

“The death of women and children in Matre Dara is being circulated locally as proof that Islamabad’s Punjabi elite views Pashtuns as their enemy. This is reinforcing the perception of ethnic oppression by Pakistan Army,” said local sources.

Pashtun activists have compared this strike to the earlier military operations in Swat, Waziristan, and FATA. “The earlier such attacks, also termed counter-terror, had flattened entire villages. The Army calls it anti-terror operation, but no body of any militant was recovered. It is clearly a Punjabi assault on Pashtun identity,” said top intelligence sources.

Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), a social movement for Pashtun human rights based in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces of Pakistan, are already amplifying the narrative of Punjabi genocide of Pashtuns, which could fuel wider unrest across the region, said intelligence sources.

Reports suggest Pashtun-origin soldiers within the Army are growing uneasy, silently questioning Punjabi commanders’ indiscriminate tactics. “Pashtun tribal elders are invoking Pashtunwali code to resist what they call a campaign of Punjabi air terror and call for autonomy. Afghan Pashtun voices across the Durand Line are condemning the killings. They feel the Pakistan Army is an occupying Punjabi force in Pashtun lands,” said intelligence sources.

Baloch and Sindhi separatists are also seizing on this incident to highlight a pattern of Punjabi militarism crushing smaller ethnic groups. Far from suppressing militancy, such attacks are deepening Pashtun alienation, and risking insurgency, said sources.

About the Author

Manoj Gupta

Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

Read More

Go to Source