THE much-talked-about August 05 country-wide protest by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to press for release of its jailed leader Imran Khan turned out to be a botched attempt on the part of the party as it could not organize any impressive show anywhere in the country except Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa where it has its own government and facilitative environment.
In fact, KP as well beamed out dismaying messages despite rallies drawing large crowds in Peshawar, Swabi, Chakdara, Buner and other parts of the province as they also exposed sharp internal divisions within the party, with multiple power centres organizing separate events, diverging strategies and public disagreements that overshadowed PTI’s intended message of unity.
It is satisfying that the day passed off peacefully despite provocative statements emanating both from the party as well as the governmental side, partly because of the lacklustre participation by workers and leaders, who were under intense pressure due to legal consequences of going violent and partly because of the exhaustive arrangements made by the federal and the provincial governments to tackle any untoward incident. The authorities seemed to be so confident of their administrative arrangements to prevent breakdown of law and order that they did not, this time, resort to suspension of cellular and Internet services in any part of the country. It was also encouraging to note that there was no disruption in local or inter-city traffic and citizens carried out their daily routines with ease. Apparently, the plans to organize impressive rallies and protests in the length and breadth of the country and paralyze life could not materialize due to unrealistic focus on exhausting all available avenues and an allergic attitude towards the process of dialogue and discussions, which forms the core of a democratic polity. The PTI leadership has vowed that the protest movement that started on August 05 on completion of two years in jail of the former Prime Minister will continue till realization of the goal of his release and KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gundapur has stated that Imran Khan had directed the next course of action to be announced on August 14, and that a new plan would accordingly be unveiled on that date. However, for all practical purposes, the party is ostensibly losing the battle despite its massive popularity and is unlikely to achieve something concrete until and unless there is an overall change in the policy and approach.
There are all indications that the woes of the party will increase in weeks and months to come as its top and middle level leadership is facing legal implications of their participation in allegedly violent activities. This became evident when the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) notified the disqualification of nine legislators, including the Leaders of the Opposition in the National Assembly and Senate, Omar Ayub Khan and Syed Shibli Faraz, respectively after their conviction by Anti-Terrorism Courts in May 09 cases. The party has criticized the ECP for acting hastily in the matter as the disqualification has not attained finality (verdicts might be reversed by higher judicial forums during appeal stages) but their absence from elected houses will harm parliamentary interests and strength of the PTI. The courts will take time in hearing and deciding appeals, prompting the party to consider its threatened course of action of leaving the Parliament, a move that could make the political atmosphere murkier. While there are all reasons for the PTI to review its existing strategy of using street power for acceptance of demands, the government should also demonstrate flexibility in its handling of the political situation and there must not be a feeling of the party being pushed to the wall. In this backdrop, the government has done well by inviting the opposition to the negotiating table to find a way forward in resolving the ongoing issues. It is time for the PTI to respond to the offer in a positive spirit as confrontation will benefit none.
