PROTESTS and rallies are considered a routine and normal affair in a democratic polity but unfortunately these have become a painstaking experience for people of Pakistan as organizers flout terms and conditions for such assemblies of people and the Government of the day overreacts to prevent any threat to the law and order. This happened many times in the past and also witnessed by the nation on Sunday when PTI organized a rally at the doors of the Federal Capital, clashes erupted over violation of the deadline given by the Islamabad Capital Territory police and all entry points to the city were sealed by the local administration, creating enormous difficulties for travellers, especially residents of the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
Regrettably, all this happened despite enactment of a law by Parliament to regulate gatherings of people in the Federal Capital in the backdrop of unending protests, rallies, marches and sit-ins aimed at paralyzing the working of the Government. Sunday’s incidents show mere legislation is unlikely to achieve the objective of making gatherings in Islamabad peaceful and orderly unless all political parties including those in power inculcate democratic culture among their workers and supporters. The PTI deserves credit for exercising restraint during the last few months as it rescheduled its planned public meetings repeatedly after objections by the local administration citing security concerns. It was finally allowed to hold a rally on September 08 at a vast open space at Sangjani, at the outskirts of Islamabad. There was absolutely no justification to obstruct mobility of the people to and from Islamabad when a venue was agreed upon. However, the Government erected road blocks on all entry points causing inconvenience to commuters and leading to severe traffic congestion on internal roads of the twin cities. Analysts rightly argue that the chaos caused by such rallies not only highlights the lack of planning and coordination between authorities but also reveals an alarming disregard for the time and well being of the citizens. And this was not an end to the ongoing saga of the people as speakers of the PTI rally threatened to launch a country-wide protest movement if the party’s founding leader Imran Khan was not released from jail within the next two weeks. One fails to understand how the economy can flourish and the country move forward in the face of violent protests, forced wheel jams and closure of business and industrial activities besides educational institutions and offices. It is all the more alarming that threats for agitation were also hurled by the Chief Minister of KP, who would surely not allow anyone to challenge the writ of his Government in the province. The tendency to play with the sentiments of workers must come to an end and issues should be agitated while remaining strictly within the bounds of the law and the Constitution. Sangjani rally is being portrayed both by the PTI and the Government differently with the party terming it a vote for release of the jailed leader and the Government describing it as a flop show. Chairman of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Mahmood Khan Achakzai claimed that PTI enjoys unprecedented support from millions of people, a level of backing not seen by any previous movement in Pakistan. As against this, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, in a statement, said that traffic in Islamabad and Punjab remained normal, questioning the whereabouts of the millions of people who were supposed to bring about a revolution. He criticized PTI for using fake videos to promote their rally and accused the party of employing false and fabricated tweets to conceal the event’s failure. Irrespective of claims and counter claims, the fact remains the country cannot afford anarchic conditions and that too at a time when frantic efforts are being made to reform the economy and attract foreign investment in different sectors including agriculture. The Government should allow people to express themselves and parties must adhere to the legal requirements to keep protests and rallies peaceful.
