At Islamabad’s D-Chowk, orders from the military, Nawaz Sharif, and Zardari’s regime led to a brutal display of state violence against the public. The area was surrounded, and indiscriminate firing left dozens injured and 18 dead. Reports suggest that Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, representing the political wing of the military, held a press conference with PML-N, PPP, and MQM coalition government spokesperson Atta Tarar, during which they hinted at the use of force against the protesting public.
A Massacre in the Darkness of Night
Eyewitnesses, including Pakistani poet Ahmad Farhad, revealed that the lights at D-Chowk were intentionally turned off, plunging the area into darkness. This was followed by intense shelling, which caused severe breathing difficulties for the protesters, leading many to collapse. Taking advantage of the chaos, sharpshooters opened fire on the crowd, resulting in mass casualties. Eyewitnesses also reported that injured individuals were taken to the nearby Polyclinic Hospital, where the scene was grim with blood everywhere. The smoke from the shelling reached the hospital’s maternity ward, making it extremely difficult for newborns and pregnant women to breathe.
Media Blackout and Social Media Crackdown
After the violent crackdown, the government imposed strict restrictions on the media, preventing any reporting of the massacre in Islamabad. Social media journalists were also barred from covering the incident. The limited videos and images that emerged from the hospital painted a horrifying picture reminiscent of war-torn Gaza.
Later, the government resorted to using months-old images to spread false propaganda, claiming that PTI workers were armed. However, publicly available evidence and real-time social media coverage debunked these claims. The protesters were unarmed and marching peacefully toward D-Chowk, with their movements being documented live on social media.
Role of Judiciary and Police
Pakistan’s judiciary is under the control of the military, Nawaz Sharif, and Zardari’s regime. Judges reportedly grant physical remand immediately based on police claims without questioning the accused or examining the evidence.
Ban on Religious Rites for the Deceased
It was reported that religious rites for those killed in Islamabad were banned before their burial. To enforce this prohibition, police, wearing shoes, stormed into mosques, disregarding the sanctity of the religious spaces.
Crackdown on Social Media
Following the circulation of evidence on social media exposing state brutality, the government, with the help of military and intelligence agencies, formed a special task force. This task force’s objective is to silence voices criticizing the PML-N, PPP, and MQM and to suppress the truth.
These events will go down as one of the darkest chapters in Pakistan’s history, where the voices of democracy were silenced through violence, and blatant human rights violations were committed.