The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, which ruled from August 2018 to April 2022, repeatedly justified the use of lethal force against protesters, often labeling peaceful demonstrations as “attacks on the state.” From Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) rallies to Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) marches, security forces opened fire on civilians, resulting in dozens of deaths and hundreds injured. PTI leaders and staunch supporters on television and social media (now X) not only defended these killings but mocked the victims and their families. Below are five major incidents where the state fired on its own people—and then tried to silence the outrage.
1. Kharqamar Massacre (26 May 2019)
Location: Kharqamar Checkpost, North Waziristan Casualties: PTM claims 13–15 killed, 25–40 injured; official figures drastically lower and disputed.
What Happened: PTM leaders Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir led a peaceful caravan protesting illegal checkpoints and harassment. According to eyewitnesses and videos, soldiers opened fire without provocation on unarmed protesters waving white flags. Amnesty International called it “appalling brutality” and demanded an independent probe.
PTI Government’s Stance: The military and government insisted protesters “attacked” the checkpost, forcing troops to fire in self-defense.
PTI Supporters’ Justification – Murad Saeed’s Aggressive Defense: Federal Minister Murad Saeed delivered a fiery speech in the National Assembly on 27 May 2019, accusing PTM of being “agents of Afghan intelligence (NDS)” and claiming Ali Wazir incited the “attack.” He declared the army’s response fully justified.
- Dawn (29 May 2019): “Murad Saeed terms PTM leadership foreign-funded; opposition stages walkout.”
- The News (27 May 2019): Saeed played alleged audio clips claiming protesters planned violence.
- Full video of Murad Saeed’s speech is still available on YouTube titled “Murad Saeed Aggressive Speech Against PTM in National Assembly – 27th May 2019.”
2. Sahiwal Family Massacre (19 January 2019)
Location: GT Road near Sahiwal, Punjab Casualties: 4 killed (father, mother, 13-year-old daughter, family friend); 2 children wounded.
What Happened: Punjab CTD stopped a car carrying the Khalil family heading to a wedding. Officers pumped dozens of bullets into the vehicle. Surviving children filmed the aftermath, screaming that their parents were innocent. Initial CTD claim: the family was harboring terrorists. Post-mortem and JIT reports later confirmed a staged encounter.
PTI Government’s Stance: Initially defended as an “intelligence-based operation.” PM Imran Khan promised an inquiry on Twitter, but Punjab government later called the killings “collateral damage.”
PTI Supporters’ Justification: Pro-PTI anchors and social media accounts continued calling it a legitimate anti-terror operation even after evidence proved otherwise.
3. Arman Loni’s Custodial Murder (2 February 2019)
Location: Loralai, Balochistan Casualties: Prominent PTM leader and poet Arman Loni killed.
What Happened: During a peaceful sit-in outside Loralai Press Club, police allegedly beat Arman Loni with rifle butts. He died of head injuries en route to hospital. Amnesty International labeled it an “extrajudicial killing.”
PTI Government’s Stance: Balochistan government promised an inquiry; none materialized. No officer was punished.
PTI Supporters’ Justification: Government-aligned accounts branded Loni an “extremist,” downplaying the brutality.
4. Tehreek-e-Labbaik Crackdown (October 2021)
Location: Lahore to Islamabad route, Punjab Casualties: Official: 3–6 police killed, hundreds injured; TLP claims 5+ workers killed, 500 injured.
What Happened: TLP marched demanding release of workers and expulsion of the French ambassador. Clashes erupted; both sides opened fire. Rangers were deployed, and internet services suspended.
PTI Government’s Stance: Declared the march a “threat to law and order,” fully backing police action. A deal was eventually signed with TLP.
PTI Supporters’ Justification – Imran Riaz Khan’s Callous Remark: Anchor Imran Riaz Khan, a vocal PTI supporter, repeatedly downplayed protester deaths. Forum discussions on Siasat.pk (November 2021) quote him saying on his show that “deaths are routine in sit-ins” (“دھرنوں میں تو موتیں ہوتی ہی ہیں”), implying protester casualties were inevitable and acceptable when challenging the state. The same anchor had supported TLP in 2017 against the PML-N government but flipped when they marched against PTI.
5. Arif Wazir Assassination (4 May 2020)
Location: South Waziristan Casualties: Senior PTM leader Arif Wazir shot dead.
What Happened: Unknown gunmen ambushed Arif Wazir outside his home days after his release from jail on sedition charges. PTM called it a state-sponsored hit.
PTI Government’s Stance: Announced an investigation; no arrests made to date.
PTI Supporters’ Justification: Pro-government social media accounts labeled him a “foreign agent,” indirectly justifying the murder.
Whenever citizens demanded their rights—whether Pashtuns grieving enforced disappearances or religious groups protesting blasphemy laws—the PTI government’s response was bullets first, inquiries later (if at all). Ministers like Murad Saeed and anchors like Imran Riaz Khan not only defended the killings but mocked the dead. The question remains unanswered: Goli kyun chalai? Because the state feared accountability more than it valued human life.
