Arif Wazir was a Pakistani politician, activist, and a leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement.
18 Facts About Arif Wazir
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Arif Wazir was a member of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and its president for the South Waziristan chapter.
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Arif Wazir headed the FATA Political Alliance South Waziristan, which campaigned for the rights of the people of former Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
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Arif Wazir spent a significant amount of time in jail in the last few years of his life, especially after joining the PTM in March 2018.
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Arif Wazir succumbed to his injuries on the next day after being shifted to Islamabad for emergency surgery, becoming the 18th male member of his extended family to be killed by militants since 2003.
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The inspector-general of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Police, Sanaullah Abbasi, said that Arif Wazir was murdered because of his recent interview in Kabul, Afghanistan.
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On 14 March 2022, the Pashtun National Jirga in Bannu demanded that Arif Wazir's death be investigated by a credible judicial commission headed by Justice Qazi Faez Isa, and that the report be made public.
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Arif Wazir was still able to garner 10,272 votes in the election, losing to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf candidate Naseerullah Wazir by a margin of 842 votes, who got 11,114 votes.
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Arif Wazir's supporters claimed that the results were rigged in favor of the PTI candidate.
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On 23 March 2018, Arif Wazir declared his full support for Manzoor Pashteen and PTM during a rally in Wanna.
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However, Arif Wazir was arrested again during a protest in Wanna.
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In February 2020, Arif Wazir was released because the authorities could not prove any charges against him.
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On 17 April 2020, Arif Wazir was detained by the police in Wanna and accused of making an "anti-Pakistan speech during his visit to Afghanistan" in the previous month.
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However, a large number of unarmed PTM supporters gathered at the market to support Arif Wazir and resisted the militants, after which the militants indiscriminately opened fire on the PTM supporters.
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On 1 May 2020, only four days after his release from jail, Arif Wazir was driving home when gunmen from another vehicle started following him.
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Arif Wazir was first hit by a bullet in his upper arm, followed by two other bullets in his neck and head.
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Arif Wazir was rushed to a local hospital in Wanna and then to DHQ hospital in Dera Ismail Khan.
18.
The inspector-general of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, Sanaullah Abbasi, said that Arif Wazir was assassinated because of his recent interview to a private Afghan channel in Kabul.