In the Face of Death: The Unbroken Spirit of Pakistan’s Revolution

When injustice becomes law, rebellion becomes duty. – Thomas Jefferson

Today we live in a Pakistan where injustice is not only law but a consistent habit of those running the country. We live in a time where justice is a very pleasant surprise and privilege which the 240 million people of Pakistan have no hope achieving. The words of Thomas Jefferson have never felt more relevant because I write this article at a time when me and my fellow countrymen are still in shock, from the massacre that took place in Islamabad on November 27th 2024. A horrific loss of life during a peaceful protest which absolutely no one expected, through the hands of the same human beings that vowed to protect the very people whose blood flowed through the streets of our capital.
What did they do wrong? What was their fault? Why were they killed? The answer to these questions is simpler than you think. Their mistake wasn’t that they committed crimes or atrocities, it was simply the ideology they stood up for. It was the fact that they resisted in the face of the powerful, that they, despite the the threats to their lives, refused to stand down and let this country become a playground for the powerful. Their crime was the dissent they expressed against the military and their touts. They stood up for Imran Khan’s ideology and that was the sin that lead them to there graves. But their deaths did not mean we lost or that the protest was a failure, their deaths were the reminder this nation needed to open its eyes and see those vultures for who they truly are.

There is so much I want to say to my fellow Pakistanis today, but first and foremost, I’ll say don’t lose hope in the power of the people. The power of the people is stronger than the people in power. And how long can the rule of an oppressive regime even last? 75 years or 175 years, all of them fall eventually. They are not invincible and we are this close to defeating them. That’s why they’re resorting to such cowardly measures in order to stomp on the will of the people. They can jail or kill the revolutionary but they cant kill the revolution but for now it is up to us to carry forward this revolution, not always in big gestures but small actions. Do your best to boycott Military-owned products and boycott them socially too. Choose not to engage with them in social events. Let your voice be heard loud and clear and don’t lose hope, however dark the future may seem, there is always a dawn, even after the darkest and longest nights.

رَختِ دل باندھ لو دلِ فگاروں چلو
Tie up the heart, the heart of the broken ones
پھر ہمیں قتل ہو آئیں یارو چلو
Then, let us march forward; if we must die, let us die together
.
-Faiz Ahmed Faiz
رَختِ دل باندھ لو دلِ فگاروں چلو
Tie up the heart, the heart of the broken ones,
پھر ہمیں قتل ہو آئیں یارو چلو

Then, let us march forward; if we must die, let us die together.
-Faiz Ahmed Faiz

This is a protestor being shoved off of a container while he was peacefully praying and harming absolutely no one.

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