A Relational Analysis of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) in Pakistan

Abstract

This article offers a relational analysis of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) in Pakistan. Moving beyond static frameworks, it conceptualizes PTM as an emergent assemblage constituted through evolving social relations. Examining movement-generated sources and digital traces, it traces how relational mechanisms—such as transforming private grief into collective claims and performative protest—shape its identity and agency. The analysis highlights the roles of embodied action, non-human actors, and internal tensions, revealing dynamics obscured by conventional approaches. It contributes to debates on non-violent ethnopolitical mobilization under militarized governance, demonstrating the value of a relational lens for understanding social movements