PAKISTAN ON FIRE

 Here is an update on the situation in Pakistan. 

1.  Azad Kashmir is the Pakistani occupied parts of Kashmir.

Here is a Tweet from inside Azad Kashmir.

He says it has been 78 days since the 'siege'  of Kashmir has been going on (siege by the Pakistani Armed Forces).  Essential food and drink have disappeared. They want the border with India to be opened up so that they can get food and drinks from the Indian side of Kashmir. Hundreds of people have been shot and killed since the Army crackdown began. The AZAD Kashmiris are protesting various grievances against the Pakistan government and Army. 

The Internet has also been suspended in Azad Kashmir and ALL news media, including of course foreign media, have been denied access to all parts of Azad Kashmir.

2. Sindh / Sindhudesh 

There have also been protests in Sindh. People have begun flying the independent flag of Sindhudesh. There are reports that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari the son of the late former prime minister Benazir Bhutto wants to join the Sindh opposition. They are ethnic Sindhi people.  I think if he does that they will shoot him as well. His mother was shot and killed while his grandfather Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged. 

3. Balochistan

The Pakistani government has almost no presence inside Balochistan.  Main cities like Quetta are ringed with barbed wire and the army has also dug trenches around the city limits. The Pakistani army stays inside the barbed wire. At night they totally cannot venture outside as the Baloch rebels control the country side.  If you are above 65 years of age you will remember the Vietnam War. This is exactly what happened to the Americans in Vietnam.

The Baloch rebels do not allow non-Baloch people to travel freely on the roads in Balochistan. Punjabi people are frequently shot dead.  Air travel is the only remaining option between Quetta (the Baloch capital) and Karachi.  The one-way airfare between the two cities has jumped to 100,000 Pakistani Rupees (about RM1,400). 

• Compare:
• Quetta → Karachi: 595 km (RM1,400 fare, one way).
• KL → Kota Kinabalu: 1,630 km (RM350 normal fare, one way).
• KL → Kuching: 970 km (RM250 normal fare, one way)

In July 2026, Baloch nationalist activist Mir Yar Baloch and other separatist figures publicly claimed that Balochistan had declared independence from Pakistan, calling themselves the “Republic of Balochistan".  This need not be taken too seriously (for the time being) but the Baloch rebels have also started collecting taxes from the people and from businesses. Whatever taxes were payable to the government are now collected by the Baloch rebels. No one can stop them. And they are telling the people NOT to pay taxes anymore to the Pakistani government!! This means they are now self funded. Plus they have declared independence.

4. KPK or Khyber Pakhtunhwa.

• Aug. 23 (yesterday), South Waziristan: armed men opened fire on a vehicle, killing one man and seriously injuring another. 
• July 30, Hangu: a major militant assault on a police checkpoint killed 11 police officers and injured 28.
• July 24, Tank (Tank is the name of a place): an attack on a joint security checkpoint killed 15 people, including 12 soldiers, two policemen and a government official.
• July 31, Dera Ismail Khan: gunmen killed two police officers

The situation in KPK is totally out of control.

4. Rawalpindi

Rawalpindi is Pakistan's military garrison town. Pakistani Army HQ is located in Pindi. 

Army General HQ — headquarters and command centre of the Pakistan Army

Joint Staff HQ — principal joint military HQ for Pakistan Armed Forces

Rawalpindi Corps HQ  — headquarters of Pakistan Army's X Corps

Nur Khan Air Base — major military airbase 

Qasim Army Aviation Base (Dhamial) — Army Aviation's major base and HQ

Chaklala Garrison / Cantonment —  large military-administered area 

Now here is the shocker: On 21 August 2026 (three days ago), the Pakistan federal government authorised the deployment of three companies of the Pakistan Army in Rawalpindi for six months under Article 245, at the request of Punjab's Home Department. The stated purpose is “sensitive security duties”.

What it means is that because of the “sensitive security” situation  Rawalpindi is now under military 'administration'.  (They do not want to say 'martial law' - it will be too embarrassing).  However the civilian administration in Rawalpindi has also been suspended.  This means for example the civilian Courts also do not function. The military is in charge.

I think Pakistan has some serious problems.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.