Letter from Dr. Yasmin Rashid - 10th April 2025
There is complete chaos in the country, and the Form 47 government seems least bothered about it. Their sole focus is to remain in power, even at the cost of Pakistan. Islamabad appears to be a different country altogether, where the mantra of "all is well" is continuously harped upon. But do you really think all is well when the Army Chief has to address participants of an international minerals forum to reassure them about security if they invest in Pakistan?
Pakistan is burning. In Balochistan, for the past 13 days, all entrances to Quetta have been blocked to prevent BNP protesters from entering the provincial capital to register their peaceful protest. Akhtar Mengal’s party is a nationalist party, simply demanding the release of Dr. Mahrang Baloch and her fellow protesters, and calling for dialogue to improve the situation in Balochistan. However, the People's Party government at the helm refuses to engage with them. They have always claimed to be champions of democracy—what a shame that they have thrown the sacrifices of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto down the drain.
Sindh is up in arms against the construction of canals from the Indus River for the Cholistan Desert Project. A project initially approved by Mr. Zardari—now, as Sindh protests, the PPP is trying to convince the people they are on their side. What hypocrisy. Do they really think the people of Sindh can be fooled all the time?
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is facing the worst insurgency. Yet, when innocent people in Mardan are massacred by our own security agencies through drone attacks, no one wants to take responsibility. Why are military courts only for civilians supporting PTI?
Gilgit-Baltistan is now in its 54th day of protest. The Karakoram Highway (KKH) is blocked by a sit-in demanding compensation for the Diamer-Bhasha Dam project. Amir Muqam’s claim that Rs. 151 billion were given as compensation was refuted by Maulana Hazratullah, who stated that only Rs. 75 billion have been disbursed. Nobody seems to care, and repeated meetings have yielded no results.
Punjab is leading in human rights violations—people are being harassed, coerced, and imprisoned, with all focus directed toward Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf workers.
So, is "all is well" just a joke?
The Chief Justice of Pakistan remains a silent spectator to all these atrocities. May Allah help us through these difficult times.
Pakistan Zindabad,
Yasmeen Rashid