The niggle Jail Bharo Jihad
PAKISTAN Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has termed the Jail Bharo Movement a “Jihad” against those who have destroyed the country. As always Imran Khan’s children Salman, Qasim and Tyrian are not convinced to come to Pakistan from London and lead their father’s “devilish Jihad” in Jail Bharo Movement but he is asking poor Pakistanis to go to the jail and face hardships to save his filthy and nasty politics. The PTI leader Imran Khan has launched a Jail Bharo Movement for the so-called real “freedom”. In the name of freedom Imran Khan is asking his followers to embrace jail wholeheartedly. Dramatically he is asking for freedom but practically sending them to jail. What a cunning move it is. This confused movement proved to be a diffused movement on the very first day when non embraced jail in KP the stronghold of PTI. This Jail Bharo Movement is totally mischievous and provocative attempt against the Constitution of Pakistan which guarantee fundamental rights. During almost four years rule of Imran Khan, PML-N and PPP leadership faced shameful and unjustified FIRs, NAB cases and custodial tortures. Journalists and social media activists were attacked, kidnapped and killed.
Amongst the PTI leadership it is against the economic meltdown brought on by a cabal of crooks who have money laundered billions in looted wealth and got NROs for themselves while crushing the people, especially the poor and middle class, under the burden of spiraling inflation and rising unemployment. Chairman PTI Imran Khan who doesn’t want to face hardships of Jail has obtained bail before arrest and tactfully appealed to all the Pakistanis to join Jail Bharo Movement for their so-called real “freedom”. Making fool in the name of freedom he is asking Pakistanis to go to Jail. Imran Khan is sure that on his call for the so-called “Jihad” the entire nation will spill over and present itself for jail. Bail before arrest for himself and jail after arrest for the followers. Because of this approach, Jail Bharo Movement met embarrassing fate on the very first day.
Earlier Imran Khan claimed that Jail Bharo Movement would make the country free and prosperous. The country prospers only when the state protects the fundamental rights of its citizens. Making the nation doofus, Jail Bharo movement is covered under so called Jihad. In the name of so-called freedom, the more people participate in this diffused movement, the sooner Imran Khan would reach the goal of power. Before Jail Bharo Movement, the bravo Shehbaz Gill, Azam Sawati, Fawad Chaudhry and Sheikh Rasheed literally wept to tears on media after spending one day in jail. How can such stooges face hardships of jail for weeks, months and years. Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s son Zain Qureshi has requested the honorable Lahore High Court for his father’s bail just after one day in jail. Prison van turned washroom when locked from outside after Asad Umer, Shah Mehmood Qureshi and few others were seated in it. Before Jail Bharo Movement Imran Khan has learnt no lesson from what led to his downfall. Imran Khan lost the support of coalition allies, he needed to defeat his political opponents. He urged his supporters to come to the streets and strengthen his devilish Movement which ended in niggle and fuss following weeks of high political drama and constitutional chaos.
Imran’s political demise was rooted in new realities. Inside Parliament, PTI had lost the support of coalition allies, denying the majority Imran needed to defeat the vote of no-confidence. Outside Parliament, he lost the support of Pakistan’s powerful military establishment, which the then PDM alleged to help win the 2018 general election, and had publicly fallen out over senior military appointments and policy decisions. Since then Imran’s every political decision and move whether be it Long March, resignations from National Assembly or dissolution of Punjab and KP Assemblies met embarrassing end. At the stage when Imran Khan is repeatedly demanding elections within one and half months his failed Jail Bharo Movement has diffused his artificial political hype. Jail Bharo Movement met its political demise because Imran’s followers and party leaders are not ready to face hardships of jail for his political gains only. Masses know that once they are arrested and sent to jail, Imran Khan will never come out to get them released. Once young followers are jailed, in record they will be registered amongst criminals. With such record history they can’t apply for government jobs and even can’t get visa of any country. In recent weeks, the principal opposition parties, PPP and PML-N, ramped up their efforts to dislodge Imran and his coalition allies.
As far as governance of PDM is concerned, the government is also unpopular because of the worst inflation and unbearable hike in electricity and gas tariffs. For the poor petrol and diesel have gone out of reach. The Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif should be thankful to Imran Khan who by failed Jail Bharo Movement gave new life to PDM government. Imran Khan making his leg plaster a shield didn’t come out to lead Jail Bharo Movement and go to the jail himself besides his multiple requests to his party leaders and followers. Failure of Jail Bharo Movement is complete disgruntlement of the masses. The sour mood among Imran’s erstwhile party leaders and allies is echoed in the masses. Imran Khan may meet disqualification in corruption, Tosha Khana, Tyrian White and Foreign Finding cases in the days to come. As always, Imran Khan has once again made serious blunder by announcing Jail Bharo Movement exposing himself and his party leaders just before the general election. A deepening political and constitutional crisis will contribute to Imran’s disqualification.
—The writer is editor, book ambassador political analyst and author of several books based in Islamabad.
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