Only the Characters and Locations Have Changed, History Is Repeating Itself: Hamid Mir

October 6, 2026 154news Acacia

Only The Characters And Locations Have Changed, History Is Repeating Itself: Hamid Mir - UrduPoint

By Sajid Ali | Published October 06, 2026 | 11:18 AM

A few years ago, Shehbaz Sharif was the chief minister of Punjab and considered protests against the Pakistan Peoples Party’s federal government justified. Today, the same allegations are being made against the PTI government. According to a post by a senior journalist.

Media Freedom and Political Tensions

Hamid Mir, a senior journalist and analyst, shared his insights on media freedom, civilian supremacy, and the traditional tensions between federal and provincial governments in a statement on social media platform X. He noted that:

No single institution or individual is behind the current situation facing the media. Instead, several institutions and politicians are collectively punishing the media for perceived wrongdoings, as the media has often been a soft target.
When Imran Khan was prime minister and the controversial PECA law was introduced, Shehbaz Sharif and other leaders criticized journalists, stating that the same Imran Khan promoted by the media was now restricting it. Times have changed; Shehbaz Sharif is now prime minister, and new records are being set for media restrictions.

Historical Parallels

In another tweet, Hamid Mir drew a parallel between the current conflict and a past situation:

A few years ago, when Shehbaz Sharif was chief minister of Punjab, and the Pakistan Peoples Party’s federal government was in power, Shehbaz Sharif deemed protests against the federation on the streets justified.
Qamar Zaman Kaira, then-federal minister, leveled similar allegations against the Punjab government that the federal government is now making against the PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Shehbaz Sharif had offered the same arguments in defense that Chief Minister Sohail Afridi is making today. He concluded that only the characters and locations have changed, but history continues to repeat itself.

Only the Characters and Locations Have Changed, History Is Repeating Itself: Hamid Mir