Overview
- The Express Tribune published Zorain Nizamani’s op-ed, titled “It Is Over,” on January 1 and removed it within hours.
- News reports and commentators widely attribute the takedown to pressure from the military establishment, though direct confirmation has not been reported.
- Nizamani, a Pakistani PhD student at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and son of actors Fazila Qazi and Qaiser Khan Nizamani, has drawn broad online praise as screenshots spread.
- The column argues Pakistan’s ruling elite is losing sway over Gen Z and Gen Alpha, contends manufactured patriotism no longer works, and notes many young people opt for a “silent, quiet exit” from the country.
- Political and rights groups condemned the removal, with PTI Canada and the Human Rights Council of Pakistan calling it a violation of free expression.