Paris [France], May 23 (ANI): Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) activist Fazal ur Rehman Afridi has vehemently criticised the recent drone strike conducted by the Pakistan Army in Hurmuz, North Waziristan, which resulted in the deaths of four young children and their mother.

In an interview with ANI, the activist claimed that the areas populated by Pashtuns in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are being utilised as a 'laboratory' by the Pakistani military to test various weapons, notably drones.

Afridi disclosed that there have been more than 32 drone strikes in North and South Waziristan and Tank districts over the past few years. 'This is not the first instance where the Pakistani army has assaulted innocent Pashtun civilians, particularly women and children,' he stated, noting that the latest victims were children aged from five to eight.

Dismissing the military's assertion that the strike targeted militants, the activist accused the Pakistani state of having relocated over 55,000 Taliban leaders and their families into Pashtun regions through a formal arrangement. 'Now they label them as terrorists and use this as justification for conducting assaults. It's a proxy conflict. The Taliban are merely pawns of the Pakistan Army,' he asserted, suggesting that the true aim behind the strikes is to seize the resource-rich lands of the Pashtuns.

He also connected the drone attacks to the events following India's recent counter-terror operation. 'Immediately after Operation Sindoor by India, the Pakistan army resumed attacks on Pashtun civilians. Innocent children and elderly individuals lost their lives,' he said.

Voicing complete support for India's Operation Sindoor that targets terror camps in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the activist mentioned that Pashtuns collectively welcomed such an initiative. 'We were relieved that our regions were not affected, and we understand that the terror strongholds are in Punjab. We wish the operation had continued longer to dismantle the rogue Pakistani army,' he added.

He concluded with optimism that future operations would ultimately relieve Pashtuns of their enduring military oppression.

At least four children of the same family were killed and five people injured in a suspected drone strike in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. (ANI)