Alamgir Wazir
Alamgir Khan Wazir (Pashto: عالمګیر خان وزیر; also spelled Alamgeer Wazir) is an activist in the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM). He was formerly chairperson of the Pashtun Council's Punjab University chapter.[1] He belongs to the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe of Wanna, Waziristan, and is a nephew of MNA Ali Wazir.
Alamgir Wazir | |
---|---|
Born | Wanna, South Waziristan, Pakistan | March 8, 1996
Alma mater | University of the Punjab[1] |
Occupation | Activist for human rights |
Movement | Pashtun Tahafuz Movement |
Parent(s) |
|
Relatives | Ali Wazir (uncle)[1] Arif Wazir (father's cousin) |
Education
Alamgir completed his Bachelor of Science in gender studies at the University of the Punjab in 2018.[1]
Detention in Lahore
On 29 November 2019, Alamgir participated at Students Solidarity March in Lahore to demand the restoration of student unions and better education facilities. On 30 November at 5 pm, he was taken away by unidentified men in a vehicle outside the University of the Punjab's Hostel No.19, where he was staying with a cousin to receive his degree from the university.[2] Students from the university protested outside the vice-chancellor's office for Alamgir's release.[3] On 2 December, it emerged that the Lahore police had arrested him under sedition charges. Several other participants of the march were also named in a first information report (FIR) by the police, including Ammar Ali Jan, a former assistant professor at the University of the Punjab who had been forced to resign in 2018, and Iqbal Lala, father of the lynching victim Mashal Khan. However, Alamgir was the only protester who had been detained by the police after the march.[4] The Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, the Human Rights Minister, Shireen Mazari, and the Minister of Science and Technology, Fawad Chaudhry, condemned the FIR by the police against Alamgir and others.[5][2][6]
On 4 December, Alamgir filed a bail petition for his release, asserting that the charges against him were false.[7][8] On 6 February 2020, the Lahore High Court dismissed his bail petition.[9] After more than three months in prison, he was granted bail against a surety bond of Rs100,000 by the Supreme Court of Pakistan on 30 March 2020.[10]
See also
References
- "Pakhtun Council members at Punjab University stage protest after former chairman 'goes missing'". Dawn. 2019-12-01. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
- "Court rejects police request for physical remand of Alamgir Wazir, sends him on judicial remand". Dawn. 2019-12-02. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
- "Pashtun activist Alamgir Wazir goes 'missing' from Punjab University campus". The Nation. 2019-12-01. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
- "'Love and power': The revival of people's politics in Pakistan". Al Jazeera. 2019-12-04. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
- "Shehbaz slams student activist's arrest, urges govt to 'engage youth'". Pakistan Today. 2019-12-03. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
- "Police book student march organisers on 'sedition' charges". Pakistan Today. 2019-12-01. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
- "Alamgir Wazir files bail petition in Lahore court in sedition case". Dawn. 2019-12-04. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
- "Pashtun student activist seeks bail in 'sedition' case". Pakistan Today. 2019-12-04. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
- "Alamgir Wazir's bail petition dismissed by Lahore High Court". Dawn. 2020-02-06. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
- "Court approves bail of student accused of making 'anti-state' remarks". Samaa TV. 2020-02-06. Retrieved 2020-04-15.