IN a country already suffocating under the weight of economic turmoil, the life of 45-year-old Asif Nawaz came to a brutal end.
Employed at a KFC outlet in Sheikhupura, Nawaz was nearing the end of his shift when an unidentified man stormed into the kitchen and shot him at point-blank range.
He later died at the hospital.
His only fault?
Working for a multinational fast-food chain during a time when tensions over the Israel-Palestine war were peaking.
In the days that followed, images of shattered storefronts, looted outlets and torched signs made the rounds on social media.
Pakistanis, like many around the world, have been deeply shaken by the relentless violence inflicted upon Palestinians.
The suffering in Gaza is unconscionable — thousands dead, families torn apart, lives reduced to rubble.
It is a tragedy that calls for global solidarity.
But what we witnessed in Sheikhupura is not solidarity.
It is savagery.
Rage is understandable.
Helplessness is real.
But the murder of an innocent man under the guise of political protest is not resistance — it is a failure of conscience.
Pakistan has seen waves of protests against Israel’s military offensive, many of them peaceful and powerful.
People have taken to the streets in the thousands.
Boycotts have been launched against brands perceived as supporting Israel.
Social media campaigns have surged in support of Palestine.
These actions, rooted in awareness and advocacy, reflect a global conscience refusing to look away.
But when protests devolve into violence — when they turn into opportunities to destroy property and lives — we betray the very cause we claim to uphold.
Palestinians are not asking us to lose our humanity.
They are asking the world to recognize theirs.
To lash out at a local employee — someone earning a daily wage to feed his family — is not an act of bravery.
It is a reflection of our own inability to channel anger constructively.
According to a 2024 report by Gallup Pakistan, over 63 percent of Pakistanis said they supported the Palestinian cause and would participate in boycotts.
But nowhere in that support does it call for murder or mayhem.
The cost of misplaced activism is high.
Not only does it take innocent lives, but it also distorts the core message of justice and peace that underpins global movements for Palestinian rights.
The people of Gaza are standing up against occupation, displacement and apartheid — not committing senseless violence against their own neighbors.
In our desperation to feel empowered, we must not mimic the brutality we denounce.
Effective protest demands discipline, clarity and a moral compass.
Peaceful activism has changed the course of history before — from Gandhi’s resistance in India to the civil rights movement in the United States.
Violence, on the other hand, silences the message and validates the oppressor.
Asif Nawaz was not an enemy of Palestine.
He was a victim of our inability to separate outrage from righteousness.
His death is a stain on our collective conscience.
If we truly wish to honor the struggle of Palestinians, we must begin by preserving the sanctity of life in our own communities.
In times like these, when global empathy is being tested, let us not lose sight of what it means to be human.
Our protests must be loud, but they must also be just.
Our support must be firm, but it must also be thoughtful.
Because rage without reason is not resistance — it’s chaos.
And chaos, unchecked, only adds to the suffering we seek to end.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Islamabad. (mehr.jan1717@gmail.com)
