Islamabad, Jan. 15 -- In early January 2026, Pakistan's military-backed government launched a sweeping effort to silence dissent that goes far beyond its borders, trying and convicting several journalists and political commentators in absentia to life imprisonment for their alleged roles in the 2023 unrest following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, writes Marcus Andreopoulos for The Diplomat.

These convictions, tied to the nationwide riots that erupted after Khan's detention, underscore how deeply the state perceives critical voices as a threat to its grip on power.

"The Pakistani state regards dissidents as posing an existential threat to its survival," the report states, a characterization that has informed both intensi...