Personally, I have a lot to be grateful for in 2024. As always, the almighty has been kind generous compassionate, and a guide. Spoken from a point of view of privilege, but I am also aware of and cannot ignore the plight of my compatriot citizens whether in Balochistan, KP, or Pakistan in general have not been.
The meta or the ‘larger picture’ as we are constantly been told is more complex but we never are aware of the details- perhaps on purpose. If we did, perhaps something could stir us out of our stupor?
From a citizen of Pakistan’s perspective let's review 2024.
Early in 2024, in January we started with 6 ‘unidentified gunmen’ killing 6 barbers in the Mir Ali, in Waziristan Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, why do they remain unidentified, and why barbers? Sadly the reportage of what information we are given leaves much more in between the lines. Cutting off hair is a no-no for mentally unhinged Taliban mentality and barbers have become their first calling stop when they want to announce their control over an area. But does the state of Pakistan care? They do when it comes to budgetary allocations for ‘security’ and conferencing at donors begging for otherwise….
The month continued its violence as the escalation of tension with neighbor Iran became hot enough for the reporters and chitaratti in the center to talk about; then one day Iran thought it best to attack Pakistan with missiles into bordering villages in Balochistan; naturally as always, there was absolutely no coverage of the impact on the villages around Taftan or footage of local points of view or insight to humanise this corner of Pakistan. Because these things ‘just happen’ why this escalation occurred and the feeding ingredients of an already swamped Iran to take this drastic step was considered not so relevant for Pakistanis to discuss.
Frankly, I can’t list all the violent incidences that Pakistan experienced in January alone, since that would take up reams of pages. I should mention that in Islamabad (the centre) the supreme court of Pakistan upheld the death sentence against the former dictator General Parvaiz Musharraf ( who had died by now by natural causes).
Dead end of justice or
Month-end count: 17 killed. Do we know their names?
February begins with 6 policemen attacked by a militant outfit Tehreek e Jihad Pakistan in Dera Ismail Khan. One has lost track of how many militant mad men outfits have mushroomed with every alphabet’s acronym in Pakistan. I have reviewed the violence tally for the year and as a ‘civilian’ the TLP TTP JED etc endless mindless hopeless violent outfits on the menu just seem to grow. Mushrooming in darkness, nurtured on poisonous excrement with only harm as intention and action.
Sadly many had predicted well in advance that these elections were going to be a sham. On cue, a preview of what was to come ensued
The year continued with a bang reminding us peace is nowhere in sight and little hope for 2024 expected- for the majority of citizens. So far those who decide have remained safely behind walls, guards, enclosed.
In February the long-awaited elections were announced for the 10; they had been delayed repeatedly, since the political turmoil throughout 2023. Sadly many had predicted well in advance that these elections were going to be a sham. On cue, a preview of what was to come ensued. As Always in Balochistan on the 7th of February we witnessed 29 killed outside of the electoral offices, this time the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the carnage. This is important not because Balochistan was the theatre of terrorism but for the participation of a global terror network operating inside a nuclear-armed state run by a highly securitised polity. No security in one of the most oppressive repressive securitised environments.
General elections for the 16th National Assembly were held on the 10th of February under the darkest shadow, the general public was completely aware of the predetermined outcomes of the farce. Lessons unlearned; the permanent problem continued unabashedly ignoring the sentiments of the general public. As predicted a coterie of the same (illegitimate) was installed in parliament to continue the wonderful policies that have brought Pakistan to the human development indicators currently enjoyed. More of the same was considered the best option for the welfare of Pakistan.
Silver lining? At the tail end of February, the Senate rejects a bill to publicly hang rapists.
Death tally for February 52 killed. Do we know their names?
As we moved into the ides of March, did we heed the omens? Nature was not happy with Pakistan either; massive rains created devastating landslides killing 60 citizens. Disaster management or mitigation measures haven’t quite been Pakistan’s thing; we’ve left that bit in the hands of God and individual fate.
The current prime minister was installed in spite of the controversy around the number of seats his party won in the (s)elections. The constitutionally mandated electoral tribunals meant to address such disputes were delayed and effectively suspended from adjudicating complaints of mass riggings of seats across the nation.
Amidst this politically chaotic backdrop, the killings and militancy continued to take lives in KP, Balochistan; sadly, we also see 5 Chinese killed in Shangla as well.
Disconnected from the vast unimportant periphery At the center the Supreme Court adjudicated that the judicial murder-hanging of the former prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in 1978 was a miscarriage of justice, 46 years on.
Better late than never?
The tally of lives lost was 78. Do we know their names?
In spring of April, the rains and glacier melt reigned havoc killing many and displacing many from their shanty shacks. Climate-induced natural disasters seemed to be competing with the man-made violence in Pakistan. This pattern continued unabated across KP, and Balochistan particularly where police officers were killed, militants attacked citizens, and even polio workers were killed while doing their jobs. Par for the coarse reported but who cares. Too common too often.
At the center the Senate of Pakistan decided to hold elections despite the lower house seats remained in dispute and the quota for the mandatory reserved seats (for minority and women representation) had not/could not be determined. The farce of parliamentary democracy deepened.
The impact of climate change on Pakistan, continued to harm vulnerable populations in glacier melt areas, the poor with insecure shelters and extreme weather conditions, who have no social security apparatus in place saw displacement and pain
The spring of April seemed endless; the year waned in its quarter with little hope in sight. The Sindh government thankfully ordered the federal government to restore public access to X following its blockage during the general election in February. The country had complete communication blackouts so frequently by now it has become the norm but such complete blanket blockages were never thought possible. But in Pakistan, we make the impossible possible.
The governors rhetorically invite technology companies to invest in Pakistan frequently but we are not how they would operate without internet or cellular communication systems. Pakistan in 2024 saw downgraded communication network access which obstructed reliable online work or system operations, and that remains until today.
If this was not dreary enough, the impact of climate change on Pakistan, continued to harm vulnerable populations in glacier melt areas, the poor with insecure shelters and extreme weather conditions, who have no social security apparatus in place saw displacement and pain. Perhaps a premonition for things to come, a judge was abducted by armed militants while traveling in Dera Ismail Khan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He was later rescued in an operation by security forces.
April also saw more foreigners targeted, with three people injured in a suicide bombing targeting a van carrying Japanese nationals in Karachi.
Cherry on this cake, at the center, Pakistan saw Asif Ali Zardari become the president of Pakistan for the second time.
How many Pakistanis died this month; 130 were murdered. Do we know their names?
In May, as the season pivoted and the imminent summer heat began, in Azad Kashmir where we never see any heat, we saw mass protests against the rising cost of living.
In the usual hot spots of Waziristan, we saw four members of a family killed in a drone strike. This was particularly painful since it brought back memories of my participation in a public march against drone strikes on our land/people in Waziristan.
Halfway through May, (another) school was destroyed in a bomb attack in South Waziristan. Schools in Pakistan just can’t seem to get a break from violence. Anything but safe spaces for children. At the end of May, as the heat crept in, a mob burned down a house and factory in Sargoda, over alleged blasphemy by its Christian owner. The sickness of mind and the abuse of this law which targets non-Muslims and women has not seen respite. Our border with Iran remained hot with cross-border firing in which 4 Pakistanis lost their lives.
For some peculiar reason, barbers are once again targeted and killed this time in Gwadar.
77 lives were lost. Do we know their names?
A heat wave across the country killed 568 souls, 427 in Karachi alone. How many have we not counted in the southern districts of Balochistan I wonder?
Summer in Pakistan can be unforgiving. In June we saw a man in Maydan in KP killed after being lynched for alleged blasphemy by a mob that also set fire to the police station where he was being held. If this wasn’t horrifying enough, we saw the repeated rumblings of sectarian violence in the Kurram agency where five deaths were reported. This was ignored by the press and the crisis only protracted where later on in the year the deaths continued to pile up.
At the center, the government continued to embarrass itself in innovative ways; the powers that thought attacking their political enemy by declaring his marriage illegal was a brilliant idea. An appeals court upheld Imran Khan's conviction for entering into an invalid marriage with his wife.
Perhaps nature has its way of showing her wrath and displeasure; a heat wave across the country killed 568 souls, 427 in Karachi alone. How many have we not counted in the southern districts of Balochistan I wonder?
This month’s tally 700 souls lost their lives. Do we know their names?
In July when the heat is still dry and scorching we saw another Christian man sentenced to death by a court in Sahiwal for blasphemy in connection with the 2023 Jaranwala church arson and violence. In Azad Kashmir where everything is usually under control, in Rawalakot there was a bizarre prison escape that saw 17 lose their lives. This month also saw the murder of a former senator Hidayatullah and four companions in a bomb attack in Bajur district. The violence in the province continued. In Bannu, the cantonment was once again under attack, and a siege-like situation was seen. The Pakistan Taliban Hafiz Gul Bahadur faction was involved. KP province did not see a single month without violence or peaceful days.
75 lost their lives. Do we know their names?
Just as we entered the last quarter of the year and the heat was at its peak in August; god showed some mercy or a ray of hope; if we believe in self-help and persistent perseverance in the face of total adversity. On 8th August Arshad Nadeem won a gold medal in the summer Olympics. Without a doubt probably be the happiest day for Pakistanis in 2024. No thanks to the government of Pakistan who did not assist him or his journey to this individual feat but were quick to take credit and shower him with praise and platitudes after his globally recognised achievement.
The blackout on communication networks across the country continued to prevent the rest of the country from knowing about the increasing death toll in Kurram district where at least 25 people were killed in clashes between Sunni and Shia Muslims
The month continued to show a ray of hope when a former ISI boss General Retired Faiz Hameed was arrested on charges of abuse of power involving a raid on a private property development business when he was in office. If we did not know better and see patterns in Pakistani governors’ behaviour one could for a second believe there was a pivot in our destiny. But quickly the reality check set in.
133 Lost their lives. Do we know their names?
In September we continued to see the death toll of Pakistani citizens pile up. Globally we continued to shine with two Pakistani nationals, including Saad Rizvi the leader of the Tehreek e Labbaik Pakistan, convicted in absentia by a court in the Netherlands for making death threats against anti-Islam politician Geert Wilder.
At home, we continued to abuse the blasphemy law and another man in police custody on blasphemy charges was shot dead by a police officer in Quetta. The blackout on communication networks across the country continued to prevent the rest of the country from knowing about the increasing death toll in Kurram district where at least 25 people were killed in clashes between Sunni and Shia Muslims.
74 Lost their lives. Do we know their names?
October has never been a good month for Pakistan. It is when we experienced (2005) the October 8th natural disaster which took 87,000 lives in one day; the worst in living memory. With natural disasters aplenty, Pakistan's permanent governors thought it best to further blacken this month in our memories forever.
The government declares the PTM Pashtun Tahfuz Movement as a "proscribed group", accusing it of engaging "in certain activities which are prejudicial to the peace and security of the country"; a social movement based on nonviolence and advocating pro-poor rights of the marginalised was considered ‘violent’. Only in an Orwellian state could this farce be played out.
On the 21st of October, the federal government also passed the 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill, cementing this month as probably the most manhoos of all in 2024. This amendment provided a legalised mechanism for the selection of the chief justice of the Supreme Court by a parliamentary committee for the sole purpose of influencing the selection of the chief justice, thereby forever undermining its independence from the sways of the executive.
40 Lost their lives. Do we know their names?
As winter crept in November, sadly we saw bombings and suicide bombers kill 26 and injure 62 in Quetta at the railway station. It just doesn’t stop does it?
At the center, the National Assembly voted in favour of extending the tenures of heads of the Pakistan armed forces chiefs from three to five years further consolidating their power over the head of parliamentary party bosses. Once again Mother Earth was not happy with Pakistan and a health emergency was declared in Punjab due to heavy smog which also forced a lockdown in Lahore and Multan. The pollution and abuse of our natural habitat unabated continue to bring Pakistan to the brink of dire climate change consequences. We continue to be in denial and nurture anti-green policies and mafias at the expense of life liberty and health (article 9 by the way in our constitution) for all Pakistanis.
Not To be left behind the illustrious council of Islamic ideology in the center, saw fit to rule against the usage of VPNs in Pakistan, deeming them as contrary to Sharia ( as they interpreted it) amid efforts by the government to outlaw them to consolidate communication blockage for Pakistanis.
The Kurram unrest by now has turned into a genocide where at least another 42 are killed in sectarian violence. The total number is not quite known given all roads and communication networks remained blocked by the state.
170 Lost their lives. Do we know their names?
As the last month of the year is upon us, and elsewhere in the world it is the season for cheer and celebration of life and hope; has the pain we witness in Pakistan coming to an end? How many more lives will we Lose? Will we know their names?
Happy New Year.
2025 be kinder.