Recently, the Trump administration has become a motherlode of controversies and contentious decisions. Every day, there is something new to talk about and analyse. As I write this, a debate is raging about the Signal Gate and its legality. But this is not what we are here to discuss.
The other day, during one of my doom-scrolling sessions, I came across a string of posts that talked about Trump, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and mass deportations of foreign students amid pro-Palestinian protests.
The targets were participants of pro-Palestinian protests, be they students studying in the US on student visas or green card holders originating from countries other than the US.
The extreme nature and illegality of these measures have been criticized massively by political analysts and the general public alike. From afar, these measures might seem irrelevant and alien, but they are also rooted in Pakistan’s history.
As I read the news and articles, it gave me a weird sense of déjà vu.
This article will explore some of the recent events in the US and try to draw some parallels with the political history of Pakistan.
We will get to protests and legal actions later, but let’s start with an event that indicated what a Trump administration might look like: January 6th.
January 6th and Gullu Butt
In 2020, Biden won the presidential election, ending Trump’s first administration. However, this defeat did not sit well with Donald Trump and his supporters.
Just two months later, on January 6th, 2021, during a joint session of Congress, electoral college votes were to be counted, making Biden’s victory official. However, a huge number of Trump supporters swarmed the capitol in an attempt to hinder the process and prevent Biden’s takeover of the presidential duties.
What followed was days-long chaos and destruction, including several deaths, injuries, and vandalism. According to a bipartisan investigative committee, the attack was part of Trump’s plan to overturn the election results.
Needless to say, the plan was a failure. The participants of the attack were charged with several counts of terrorism and violence, including but not limited to seditious conspiracy, obstruction of an official proceeding, and assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement officers.
Now, you might be thinking that we have never had something of such magnitude. And you are right.
But it’s not the scale of the incident that we are focusing on here. But the nature of it. What happened in Washington was a classic case of politically backed vigilantism.
If we put it in this context, we can find some examples in our past. Let me share one.
Let’s go back to 2014 and the protests by Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT). An incident now remembered as Saniha Model Town is one of the most brutal examples of not just police brutality against protestors but also politically backed vigilantism.
The founder of PAT, Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, had been vocal in his criticism of Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and working to form an alliance against the administration.
This meant that he came on the government’s radar, and his arrival in Lahore meant one thing: arrest. On June 17th, 2014, police finally acted and set out to capture Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, but they were met by barriers and activists who showed a court order that allowed the placement of said barriers.
Thus, a clash ensued between the two sides, resulting in numerous deaths and major damage to the area.
But there is an important detail we are missing here. You might be familiar with the name “Gullu Butt”.
Shahid Aziz, a.k.a. Gullu Butt, was a known Pakistan Muslim League Noon (PMLN) worker who was notorious for smashing cars and creating chaos with his bat.
During the clash between Punjab Police and PAT activists, Gullu Butt was seen leading the police force against the protestors and chanting slogans. He was even seen receiving a hug from the Model Town SP Tariq Aziz.
While his action directly did not cause any fatalities, his moves did create a state of panic in an already violent situation, which led to the killing of various people. His actions did not go unnoticed, and after a public outcry, Gullu Butt was charged with vandalism and was given an 11-year sentence and a 140,100 Rs fine.
But the similarities do not end here. As soon as Trump came into power in 2025, he issued unconditional pardons for 1500 participants of the January 6th riots, a move that was met with criticism. Similarly, the sentence given to Gullu Butt was reduced to just two years, which he served.
While debate exists over the government’s role in these incidents, some matters leave no doubt. Let’s look at them.
Protests and Legal Actions
It’s time we returned to the original matter. Trump claimed that he would solve the Gaza issue and bring peace to the region through his policies. While many doubted him, no one expected his unconventional and controversial approach.
Trump vowed to make Gaza the “Riviera of the Middle East” and to “own” the strip and transform it. Israel’s constant attacks on Gaza, paired with their violations of the ceasefire and Trump’s ambitions, fuelled the already heated protests in American educational institutes.
Students camped in the universities and decided to skip and disrupt the classes while demanding the universities divest from Israel.
Trump Administration’s response? Revoking student visas and citizenships along with mass deportations. Recently, Rumeysa Ozturk, a doctoral student at Tufts University, was forcibly arrested by the undercover immigration authorities.
Experts have called this move a direct violation of the First Amendment, which protects free speech in the country.
Now, let’s turn our gaze to Pakistan. A country riddled with problems and protests. As a resident of Rawalpindi, I have seen enough of the protests and protective measures the government takes against those protests.
It does not require much knowledge and skill to realize that it’s not just maintaining control or ensuring security. It shows the state of paranoia that the government exhibits.
Blocking major roads with massive containers, massive numbers of police officers, and digging trenches, the government tried every tactic to thwart the recent PTI protest. When the opposing party tried the digital protest route, internet shutdowns and blocking major social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram were the common responses.
Arrests are another common weapon used by the state to discourage protests. We saw that when Baloch protestors made their way from Turbat to Islamabad to demand justice for the killing of 24-year-old Balaach Mola Khan under police custody. Upon arrival, they were met with batons, water cannons, and arrests.
In another event, Mahrang Baloch, an activist for the Baloch cause, was detained and prevented from travelling to New York, where she was invited to receive an award for being named in the Time 100 Next list.
Finally, something as minor and harmless as Aurat March is not safe either. The public disagreement with the movement is one thing, but the government’s response is another. The use of blockades, barbed wire, and police force against a group of women asking for basic rights seemed quite far-fetched.
Yet, this keeps happening, and the government keeps spending too many resources and too much attention on the wrong issues and methods. There are other important issues and better alternatives that need consideration, but I guess it’s too much to ask.
Do these Tactics Even Work?
However, the question remains about the effectiveness of these extreme tactics. Has any of it worked? Do these measures discourage or further encourage the resistance?
Trump’s deportation policies have indeed caused some students to reconsider their approach and either self-censor or dissociate from the protests. However, it has, by no means, ended the protests. They still persist, and illegal arrests and deportation efforts are being challenged in courts.
In Pakistan, however, the government’s attempts to suppress the voices of the opposing parties or protestors have always backfired.
When the government tried to shut down the internet by taking down X and Instagram, people turned to Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). A move designed to reduce the viewership of Imran Khan’s speech did the complete opposite, as viewership was reported in millions by PTI officials.
The attempt to silence Mahrang Baloch by detaining her at the airport led to international attention on the issue, with the activist being invited by renowned journalists like Mehdi Hasan, further exposing the hypocrisy.
Similarly, the censorship and campaign against Aurat March have made people even more curious about what it is. It has prompted both sides to engage in arguments that only give more popularity and attention to progressive ideas.
Throughout our history, we have been at a crossroads where we had the choice to either use deception and violence or engage in dialogue, and time and time again, we have chosen violence and the path of most resistance. And the outcome has always been a disaster.
