ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – About 15 years ago, the famous Pakistani pop singer Shehzad Roy released a song titled “Laga Reh (Keep at it)”. The song began with the singer remembering something he saw on television during his childhood.
“When I was 10 years old, I heard on the 9 o’clock news that Pakistan was at a critical juncture in its history,” says Roy. A short, sharp guitar riff and drum solo followed, then Roy added: “When I turned 20, I learned again on the nine o’clock news that Pakistan was at a critical juncture in its history.”
The song was released in 2008, the year Pakistan held its first elections after General Pervez Musharraf’s nine-year military regime. Many observers at the time felt that this was perhaps the most important poll in the country’s 60-year existence, as it faced existential challenges on the political, economic, and security fronts.
As I begin writing this, reflecting on the situation in Pakistan in 2024, which began with what analysts are calling the most critical year for the country of 250 million people, I cannot help but think of Roy’s song. It was.
I started my journalism career two years after this book was published, and I often wonder: A lot has changed in this country since 2008, but has anything really, truly changed?
violence; unstable political situation; Censorship; military entry. unstable economic situation; Politicians profit from the size of the security apparatus only to turn against it later on, a pattern that is sure to repeat itself.
The country held a general election in February this year, originally scheduled for the end of last year.
Global organizations, independent monitors and critics criticized the vote, with many accusing authorities of manipulating the tally, a charge the government rejects. The election was held despite the fact that former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which was forced to run as an independent after its disqualification, won the most victories. This led to the establishment of a government. seat.
A turbulent year
Violence has also escalated in Pakistan, particularly in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwestern Balochistan, with hundreds of law enforcement officers and civilians targeted. At least 685 security forces lost their lives in a total of 444 terrorist attacks, making 2024 the deadliest year for Pakistan’s civilian and military forces in a decade. Nearly 1,000 civilians were also killed.
The overall number of deaths from violent attacks recorded this year was the highest in nine years and 66% more than in 2023, according to data compiled by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), an Islamabad-based think tank.
Between 2015 and 2021, the country managed to quell attacks by illegal armed groups such as the Pakistani Taliban and Baloch separatist groups, known by their acronym TTP.
However, after the Afghan Taliban took control of Kabul in August 2021, the frequency of attacks sharply increased.
At least 16 soldiers were killed in a TTP attack in December. Pakistan responded with airstrikes into Afghanistan’s territory to the west. The country’s hawkish stance, accusing Afghanistan of harboring TTP fighters, only complicates diplomatic issues.
Meanwhile, activists in the impoverished province of Balochistan rallied in late July to demand the release of the missing, but were met with complete state apathy. Mobile phone and internet services were suspended for more than a month.
Similarly, the government’s failure to intervene in the volatile Kularam region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where sectarian tensions broke out between Sunnis and Shiites over land disputes, escalated and left more than 150 people dead. analysts have pointed out.
financial rest
Although the country avoided an economic catastrophe by avoiding default, stability remains precarious as economic managers struggle to develop sustainable growth tools.
Under Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Pakistan successfully secured a 37-month, $7 billion tranche program from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), providing a lifeline to the country’s struggling economy.
Austerity measures have also increased foreign exchange reserves from just over $3 billion in May 2023 to more than $12 billion. Inflation peaked at 38% last year, but has plummeted to 5% this month.
However, the government appears to be struggling to win the public’s economic trust. More than 700,000 Pakistanis have migrated legally this year in search of better opportunities, while another 3,000 will move in 2023, ignoring the tragedy of the sinking of the Adriana, which killed more than 260 Pakistanis. , risking the dangerous “Danki” route. A similar incident in December left more than 40 people dead. .
Experts including experienced politicians, political economists, social scientists and veteran journalists all agree on one core issue: Pakistan’s quagmire stems from a lack of political stability. Specifically, the instability that began on the night of April 9, 2022, when PTI’s charismatic founder Khan was ousted as prime minister by a vote of no confidence in parliament.
Khan’s conundrum
Since then, Khan’s supporters have launched several long marches towards the capital, Islamabad. He accused the United States of orchestrating his removal. and challenged the authority of the military, which had hitherto been regarded as his main patron.
He survived an assassination attempt and faced hundreds of legal cases, including charges of sedition, terrorism, and incitement against the military. Mr. Khan’s supporters wreaked havoc across the country after his brief detention in May 2023, targeting public buildings, military headquarters and other facilities, and later killed more than 100 people. was punished by a harsh military tribunal.
He remained evasive until his arrest in August 2023. He was found guilty earlier this year on charges including leaking state secrets, selling state gifts and illegal marriage in violation of Islamic law.
But despite all this, including imprisonment, the outlawing of the PTI’s iconic cricket bat symbol, the imprisonment of party leaders, and candidates forced to run their own campaigns using guerrilla tactics and social media; Khan regained popular support in an unprecedented manner, culminating in a stunning victory for the PTI. He won the February election.
Pakistan’s “Great Firewall”
Meanwhile, Pakistan has written the latest chapter in a long history of censorship attempts.
Khan’s PTI government had procured an online surveillance system in 2018, but defense officials told Al Jazeera this year that the country is now acquiring Chinese technology and using similar systems to monitor internet usage. It was revealed that a firewall was installed.
An early sign came after the February election when social media platform X was blocked as a “security risk.”
Then, without warning, the internet was shut down and access to virtual private networks (VPNs) was restricted, severely disrupting the country’s internet, which earned Pakistan $3.5 billion in 2023.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s coalition government has issued contradictory statements, often blaming damaged undersea cables and global internet outages or denying the problem altogether.
golden boy
In a year of harsh realities, on the night of August 8th, a bright light of positivity illuminated the nation at the Stade de France in Paris.
27-year-old javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem broke the Olympic record with a throw of 92.97 meters to win Pakistan’s first individual gold medal at the Games.
When I met Nadeem at a gymnasium in Lahore six weeks before that night, he humbly said: “I’m competing with myself.”
For athletes, it can be a good way to motivate themselves and prepare for competition. But remembering my conversation with Nadeem, I tried to put it in the context of Pakistan, its political and military elite, and the persistent state of instability that plagues the country.
The famous proverb “May you live in interesting times” is often incorrectly referred to as a Chinese proverb, but is considered a curse. Pakistan has somehow chosen to become a vivid example of this.
For example, as a journalist in Pakistan, I wouldn’t mind if 2025 looked a little different. May the next 12 months lead to fewer “interesting” moments.
