Pakistan counters criticism of crackdown on ethnic rights group

Islamabad — Pakistan has justified its decision to outlaw a regional ethnic rights movement, citing alleged incitement of violence against the state and attempts to establish a “parallel judicial system” under the guise of peaceful public gatherings. The group, known as the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), has openly criticized the powerful Pakistani military and mainly gets support from residents of the militancy-hit northwestern tribal districts bordering Afghanistan. On Sunday, the government listed the PTM as a proscribed organization...