Pakistan: Military crackdown on pro-Palestine protesters leaves scores dead

A violent crackdown by Pakistan’s military on a mass pro-Palestine protest has left dozens dead and hundreds wounded, according to eyewitnesses and local sources. The massacre occurred near Lahore, as demonstrators attempted to march on the capital to protest Pakistan’s growing ties with Israel.

While official sources claim just five fatalities—including a police officer—witnesses report that the true death toll is significantly higher. Videos shared show bodies lying in the streets, gunfire echoing in the background, and burning vehicles. Several survivors say security forces used lethal force indiscriminately, with some describing bodies being loaded onto military trucks overnight.

The crackdown came as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was in Cairo attending a Gaza ceasefire summit. In a speech that drew widespread criticism, he praised US President Donald Trump as a “candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize.” Sharif’s overtures abroad and the repression at home has been seen by critics as a calculated attempt to curry favour with Washington while silencing opposition to normalisation with Israel.

The current march, which began in Lahore, was intended to culminate outside the US Embassy in Islamabad. Protesters were blocked by police barricades and attacked with live fire as they tried to remove containers set up to obstruct the road.

READ: Pakistan PM praises Trump’s role in ending Gaza war

Among the wounded is the leader of Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) Saad Rizvi, who was shot while urging security forces to cease fire. His current whereabouts are unknown, with police stating that searches are underway to arrest “fugitives” hiding in nearby neighbourhoods.

Despite widespread documentation of state violence, media coverage inside Pakistan remains tightly restricted. State-aligned channels have echoed the government narrative, portraying the protesters as armed aggressors. Independent journalism remains heavily censored under Pakistan’s de facto military rule, which continues to enjoy robust backing from Washington.

Ryan Grim, reporting for Drop Site News, described the mass killing as a signal both to the public and to Washington as a calculated display of strength intended to demonstrate that Islamabad is capable of enforcing compliance with its pro-Isarel  foreign policy shifts.

🇵🇰 Pakistan: Military Crackdown on Pro-Palestine Protests Leaves Scores Dead (Possibly Over 1,000)

Ryan Grim reports a mass killing near Lahore after Pakistan’s military opened fire on supporters of the far-right Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) movement during pro-Palestine… pic.twitter.com/JT5czK4d7q

— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) October 15, 2025

Minister Talal Chaudhry dismissed the protesters, suggesting they should be “celebrating peace in Gaza” instead of opposing it. Yet on the ground, for many Pakistanis, the government’s so-called peace is seen as complicity. 

Israel has already broken the ceasefire and there is growing pessimism around the second phase of the deal. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said Israel continues to block the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip despite a ceasefire that came into effect last Friday. 

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