• Shebaz Sharif’s office is silencing dissent to appease U.S. interests, turning solidarity with Gaza into a crime.
• Islamabad police blocked key areas with containers to preempt peaceful pro-Palestinian protests.
In a shameless act, Islamabad police have barricaded Gaza Chowk (otherwise known as D-Chowk) with massive shipping containers — silencing voices before they could even be raised. The road leading to the American embassy has been sealed.
Major entry and exit routes leading to the Red Zone, including D Chowk and Serena Chowk, have been blocked off with barbed wire, as well as containers. Authorities have also installed barriers at key junctions to prevent any access.
Prior to the planned protests taking place, Jamaat-e-Islami leader Liaquat Baloch addressed the government regarding potential unrest, Baloch firmly stated that the march should not be obstructed. He emphasised that the government had no right to prevent the expression of Pakistanis showing solidarity with Palestinians.
“The march will remain peaceful,” Baloch affirmed, stressing that the government should not intervene or prevent this show of solidarity with Palestinians, who are enduring hardships in Gaza.
Let’s be clear: the Shebaz Sharif’s office knows full well that the protests conducted are peaceful. Yet once again, Islamabad is under siege — not by foreign invaders, but by its own rulers, terrified of the moral courage of the masses.
It seems that it is now a crime in Pakistan to grieve over the slaughter of Palestinian children. Moreover, expressing solidarity with the oppressed people of Gaza is now considered a punishable crime by those in power; puppets of America. What greater tragedy is there, that in a land built on La Ilaha Illallah, speaking against genocide is treated as treason? A nation founded on justice now punishes those who stand for it.
Earlier this week, some Pakistanis called on the military to take action.
Much of the world allows pro-Palestine protests to take place but in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the voice of truth is being caged behind containers. But why? Because speaking for Gaza exposes the cowardice of those in power in Pakistan—who chose to remain silent in the face of the oppression of our Palestinian brothers and sisters. The containers seen in Gaza Chowk today are symbolisms of colonial hangovers, of puppet leaders who have chosen power over principle.
Last week, prominent du‘āt and Pakistani YouTubers, including Raja Zia ul Haq, came together to discuss how to combat the growing challenges they face in online Palestine activism, such as shadow banning and the removal of their channels. Recent findings have revealed that Meta has disproportionately targeted Muslim-majority nations in its suppression of pro-Palestinian voices.
May Allah (swt) break the chains of oppression and grant complete freedom to Palestine — with dignity, justice, and victory! Ameen
