Islamabad, Nov 9 : The Muridke massacre, which occurred more than three weeks ago, has already faded into silence like every other atrocity in Pakistan's recent history. It is, however, a blueprint of a regime that has learned to trade blood for approval as it has not only betrayed its people but also included repression in its foreign policy, according to a report.

No independent investigation, no accountability, and no fury, but just another failure on the national radar, buried under state propaganda and foreign policy theatre. The assault on Muridke was not a spontaneous clash but a large-scale premeditated operation, Umer Azad, a software engineer by profession and a volunteer with CODEPINK and the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), wrote in a report in CODEPINK.

"As per DropSite News, protesters from the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) had gathered to oppose Pakistan's potential normalisation with Israel and to show solidarity with Gaza. According to Dawn, more than 10,000 law-enforcement personnel participated in a 'cordon-and-search operation' in Muridke, with units of the Frontier Corps and Pakistan Rangers arriving on a special train from Rawalpindi. Law-enforcers used surveillance drones to map out streets and neighbourhoods, while trenches were dug along main roads in preparation for the operation. The forces moved in the early hours of the morning, firing on the crowd that had gathered peacefully. Eyewitnesses and social media footage documented heavy gunfire and chaos, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries. By morning, streets were littered with spent cartridges and blood, and the air was thick with tear gas. Among the many horrific pieces of footage still haunting social media, one stands out. Security personnel can be seen firing round after round into crowds of unarmed protestors", the CODEPINK report said.

Similar scenes were witnessed in Pakistan in 2024 when thousands of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters gathered to protest against the imprisonment of party founder Imran Khan. In response to the protests, Pakistani authorities imposed a nationwide communication blackout, and dozens were killed, hundreds were injured, and thousands were detained.

Together, these two incidents showcase a pattern that can no longer be seen as "excessive force" but "systematic state violence: deliberate, rehearsed, and rewarded", according to the report. The reward was immediate in the case of Muridke, as reports that surfaced within days claimed that Pakistan's military establishment was engaged in advanced discussions with the United States and Israel, brokered through the CIA and Mossad, to deploy up to 20,000 Pakistani troops to Gaza as part of a so-called peacekeeping initiative.

A report in CODEPINK stated: "The Muridke massacre, in this context, looks less like domestic repression and more like a demonstration of capability, a live-fire performance meant to show Washington and Tel Aviv how efficiently Pakistan's generals can subdue dissent, whether in Punjab or Palestine. This is what Pakistan's pursuit of Western validation now costs: blood for legitimacy. A regime that guns down its citizens for waving the Palestinian flag is now marketing itself as a stabilising force in Gaza. The same commanders who unleashed bullets on protesters in Muridke will soon don peacekeeping badges, hailed abroad as partners in regional security."

According to the report, the Pakistani military in the past three years has overthrown an elected government, jailed political opponents, including Imran Khan, on blatantly fabricated charges, conducted an election marred by widespread electoral rigging, as corroborated by the Commonwealth Observer Group, and persecuted journalists, forcing many into exile. The judiciary has been stripped of independence, and regularly faces threats from state actors while people are being tried in military courts in violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

A report in CODEPINK stated: "Muridke is a blueprint of a regime that has learned to trade blood for approval. The current regime has not only betrayed its people but has also institutionalised repression as an instrument of foreign policy. The generals have discovered that the road to Washington and Tel Aviv runs through the corpses of their own citizens. In Muridke, they offered the ultimate demonstration of how swiftly and brutally dissent can be crushed in the name of order."

/IANS