Pashtuns defy Pakistan authorties with mass Lahore rally

Thousands of Pashtuns defy authorities and hold a mass rally in the Pakistani city of Lahore, chanting anti-military slogans just hours after security forces cracked down on their leaders. The rapidly growing Pashtun Protection Movement (PTM) has rattled Pakistan's military since it burst onto the scene with a nationwide campaign against alleged abuses against ethnic Pashtuns by security forces. The Pashtuns are a fiercely independent ethnic group that straddle both sides of the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Both the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban are dominated by Pashtuns, leading to repeated military operations in the region. But PTM's leadership say Pashtun civilians have born the brunt of the army's long fight against militants and are calling for an end to what they say are rampant extrajudicial killings and "disappearances".