Watchers of the Wall: Surveillance, Militarism, and the Erosion of Civil Liberties in Gilani’s Dystopian Fiction

Abstract

This paper examines the Pakistani science fiction novel The Lost Children of Paradise by Omer Gilani through the lens of surveillance theory. The novel presents a dystopian vision of Islamabad, where high-tech espionage intersects with a Stalinist system and citizens struggle against an authoritarian establishment. The aim of this study is to analyze the mechanisms of remote management, militarized borders, and the erosion of civil liberties by employing Michel Foucault’s theories of the Panopticon and disciplinary power. It explores the metaphor of the “watchers of the walls” and investigates how these watchers maintain authority over futuristic Islamabad through visible and invisible automated monitoring systems. Using qualitative close textual analysis, this paper argues that Gilani’s dystopia exemplifies Foucault’s concept of the “carceral archipelago,” illustrating how state surveillance functions as a tool of control. Gilani critiques contemporary socio-political realities in Pakistan and the normalization of pervasive monitoring. The study highlights the extensive exploitation and oppression of individuals through the depiction of Firdous-e-Bareen, the novel’s apex disciplinary institution. This analysis contributes to scholarship on Pakistani speculative fiction and dystopian studies, serving as a warning against the dangers of authoritarian power and unchecked technological advancement.