Echo

I don’t have words to condemn the brutal repression of peaceful protests held across the country for condemning the unlawful US and Israeli aggression against Iran which resulted in the martyrdom of Ayatollah Khamenei, who was not just Iran’s Supreme Leader but also the leader of Shias across the world including Pakistan. In Karachi, 18 people were martyred and more than 40 injured. In Islamabad, four people lost their lives and dozens were injured. In Skardu and Gilgit, six people were martyred in each city, with dozens more injured. In Lahore, dozens were also injured during the crackdown. The firing by personnel of the United States Marine Corps on unarmed demonstrators at Karachi Consulate is condemnable in the strongest terms. Similary local police and law enforcement agencies in Islamabad, Gilgit and Skardu resorted to firing on innocent protesters. Live ammunition against civilians cannot be justified under any doctrine of security. Diplomatic premises may be protected, but protection does not mean disproportionate force. If restraint fails at such a sensitive moment, consequences are predictable. This is not how a state manages dissent. When grief cuts across sectarian lines and Shia and Sunni citizens stand together in mourning, the answer cannot be bullets you unless the perpetrator of this brutality is working for the servants of Zionists. The right to peaceful protest is a fundamental right. Responding with excessive force reflects failure of restraint and disregard for human life. I demand an immediate and transparent inquiry into these incidents. Those responsible for ordering and carrying out the use of lethal force must be held accountable. The government must remember that brutality cannot silence public grief, it rather deepens pain and division.