PTM barred from holding scheduled events at Peshawar Press Club

Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) leaders looking forward to holding events at the Peshawar Press Club were informed by the club's administration on Tuesday that their bookings have been cancelled and that they are no longer allowed to hold any gathering at the venue, the group's members said.

Advocate Rahim Shah, an active member of PTM and organiser of one of the events, told DawnNewsTV that a booking and payment of Rs15,000 had been made two days ago for seminars to be held on Wednesday and Thursday.

He said the aim of Wednesday's seminar was to highlight the issues faced by locals and traders at Torkham — a major border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

And Thursday's event was arranged to look back at the founding of the movement and would have marked the launch of the PTM anthem on the occasion of its foundation day, according to PTM core committee member Abdullah Nangiyal.

"I received a call from the press club informing me about the cancellation of [our] booking," said Shah, adding that the club's president, when contacted, confirmed the same.

"President Bukhar Shah Bacha told me that they have directions from higher-ups and they are compelled," the PTM member claimed while narrating his exchange with the club's president.

Shah announced that the group would go ahead and hold their event outside the press club in protest.

Meanwhile, as senior members of the press club also expressed concern over the sudden notice given by the club to PTM members, the newly elected general secretary of the club, Zafar Iqbal, attempted to provide a clarification for the move.

He said the cancellation of both events was simply due to the fact that the only hall at the venue was undergoing renovation work.

"There is no pressure from any side to ban any event," Iqbal said, dismissing any notion to the contrary.