Tajmanullah, a university student and member of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), died at Matari Prison after spending eight years behind bars without being formally charged or tried, local activists and the movement said on Tuesday.
Tajmanullah, a native of the Spilaq region in South Waziristan, was detained in 2018 by Pakistani military forces. Since then, his family had no access to him, and the authorities never disclosed any formal charges, PTM officials allege.
“He was only around 30 and had recently married before his arrest,” said a PTM representative close to the family who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “His wife has spent years waiting for him to come home.”
Pashtun rights advocates say Tajmanullah is one of hundreds of PTM members detained without due process in Pakistan. “His death is a glaring example of systemic injustice against civil society activists,” the movement stated, accusing authorities of enforced disappearance and failure to investigate.
The PTM, which campaigns against enforced disappearances, wartime abuses and extrajudicial killings in Pashtun areas, has long accused Pakistani security forces of silencing dissent without accountability. Its leader, Manzoor Pashteen, has previously said that countless activists remain incarcerated without trial.
Pakistan’s government has not commented publicly on Mr. Tajmanullah’s death. The Interior Ministry did not respond to requests for clarification.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly expressed concern over Pakistan’s use of prolonged detention without trial in areas affected by military operations. The United Nations and advocacy groups have urged Islamabad to uphold legal protections and release individuals held without evidence, stating that due process remains a cornerstone of justice.
