PEOPLE of Pakistan, especially residents of the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, have heaved a sigh of relief over the return of normalcy following the unexpected anti-climax of the high tension drama on the Jinnah Avenue of the Federal Capital. For the first time in the checkered history of long marches and sit-ins, the law-enforcing agencies succeeded in clearing the sensitive area through a well-calculated crackdown against protestors, who ran away along with their leadership, in the dark of the night to avoid arrests. The PTI, in a formal statement, claimed that the party ‘suspended’ its protests in view of, what it alleged, plan of the Federal Government to shed blood of the innocent people but for all purposes the ‘final call’ has fizzled out.
The authorities and agencies concerned, especially the Islamabad Police, Rangers and Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi, deserve full credit for their role to resolve the standoff wisely and effectively. They exercised maximum restraint in the face of extreme provocations in their bid to facilitate the party to make appropriate choices and the operation too was carried out in a highly professional manner as only rubber bullets and tear-gas were used to disperse a charged crowd. Political statements notwithstanding, the end of the protest was neither victory nor defeat of any side but triumph of the people of Pakistan, who have become weary of the bids to disrupt the normal life time and again bringing untold miseries to them. Neutral observers, however, believe that the PTI mishandled the ‘final call’ for protest from the very beginning and what happened on Tuesday night will be a serious setback to the party in many respects. Politics is the name of flexibility and there is nothing like ‘final’ in the fast changing political scenario of Pakistan but the party gave the ‘final call’ burning its own boats in a complicated environment. It was crystal clear to all that none of the three demands of the PTI – release of its founding Chairman, revocation of the 26th Amendment in the Constitution and ‘return of the mandate’ – were acceptable in the immediate context. Though by the time the protestors reached Islamabad, the party only focused on the demand for release of Imran Khan but that too could not be realized due to strategic mistakes. According to credible information, the Government offered concessions to the party but it insisted on immediate results and pursued the option of pressure tactics, which ultimately did not pay. The party had an opportunity of face-saving when offers were made to allow the gathering either at Sangjani or parade ground at the junction of the twin cities but it was missed because of overconfidence of the spouse of the party leader. She reportedly vetoed all options and expressed determination to reach the ‘D-Chowk’ at all costs, a position which initially boosted her image as a political leader but the end-game bruised it badly with ramifications for the party and its future. The call could not evoke the desired response from any other province or region except KP where the PTI has its own Government to mobilize necessary resources for plans of agitation. The repeated ‘invasions’ from KP have received sharp focus from the authorities concerned as pressure is mounting on them to find a satisfactory solution to the problem. Saner voices have been emphasizing that dialogue is the only answer but reliance on street politics has forced the Government to go for an administrative solution of the sit-ins and protests. The operation had become a necessity after a constable and four personnel of Rangers were martyred (besides injuries to scores of personnel) during the march of the protestors and their insistence to reach the D-Chowk. Presence of violent protestors including armed Afghan nationals means virtual disruption of governance, forcing the state to enforce its writ. Successful crackdown has boosted morale of the law-enforcing agencies that handling violent crowds was doable and it will hopefully have a deterring effect.
