Silenced youth

As Pakistanis, we are not truly free anymore. The government is choking the love and hope out of the youth with their draconian anti-protest restrictions. Islamabad became a scene of towering shipping containers, barricaded roads, tear gas in the air, menacing security vehicles, censored social media, road spikes spread across highways, and silenced mobile networks. All of this was aimed at Pakistan’s own people. Young people, who are standing up against the absurdities and political injustices, bore the brunt of it all. Living in Islamabad, I felt this suffocation firsthand.

The impact is more than just inconvenience, it is the slow death of patriotism among Pakistan’s youth. We are silenced, discarded, and ignored, with no voice in decision-making or national policies. Our objections and peaceful protests are met with threats and restrictions. Social media is being blocked, our voices are being smothered, and our cries for change are echoing into a prison cell without windows.

Mishal Kamran

Islamabad