Critics Warn Isolation Tactics Won’t Solve Pakistan’s Political Crisis

Political scientists and university scholars argue that sealing Islamabad and Rawalpindi will not contain the crisis but will instead magnify it. Professor Monis Ahmar, a former dean of social sciences, emphasized that the government’s focus on security apparatus rather than economic relief highlights a profound misreading of public sentiment.

He noted that the 26th and 27th constitutional amendments grant security forces broad powers to crush dissent, a provision that has emboldened the military establishment and its civilian allies to act with impunity.

According to Ahmar, the judiciary has been co‑opted, the media rendered passive, and civil society weakened, leaving no institutional check on the ruling coalition. He warned that unless lawyers, journalists, youth groups and independent watchdogs unite in a concerted movement, the state’s reliance on force will only intensify.

The professor also cautioned that isolating the capital could tarnish Pakistan’s international image and undermine confidence among investors, further aggravating the nation’s debt burden and foreign‑exchange shortages.

He concluded that genuine dialogue, transparent policymaking and a rollback of repressive measures are essential to restore stability.