PESHAWAR, Pakistan - Pakistani security forces on Monday arrested the leader of a human rights group that has accused the military of committing widespread abuses in its war on terror. A prominent Pakistani rights leader Afrasiab Khattak criticized the arrest, saying it “exposes the colonial type repressive state policy against Pashtun in general,” as well as the people of the former tribal region of North Waziristan in particular. Gulalai Ismail, a Pakistani human rights activist who recently fled the country to avoid harassment by security agencies, also denounced the arrest in a tweet. Many displaced Pashtuns have relocated there after being displaced by the military operations in the tribal regions. ___Associated Press Writer Ishtiaq Mahsud contributed to this story from Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan

Source: thestar January 27, 2020 08:37 UTC