In a breathtaking triumph for authoritarian innovation, Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Court in Islamabad has proudly awarded multiple life sentences, conveniently in absentia to a distinguished group of journalists and commentators: Adil Raja, Sabir Shakir, Moeed Pirzada, Wajahat Saeed, Haider Mehdi, Haider Mehdi, and Shaheen Sehbai. Their crime? The unforgivable act of criticizing the state online now officially rebranded as “digital terrorism.”
According to the International Commission of Jurists and the United Nations, Pakistan’s judiciary has undergone a remarkable evolution, transforming from an independent institution into a highly efficient instrument of political discipline. The strategy is refreshingly simple: redefine peaceful dissent as terrorism, press “ban,” and let silence do the rest.
Pakistan now stands alone on the world stage — bravely fighting digital extremism by jailing journalists, criminalizing opinions, and terrorizing free speech itself. After all, nothing threatens national security quite like tweets, YouTube videos, and uncomfortable questions.