By Sardar Khan Niazi
What will be the impact of the PTI Long March? Political tensions are growing in the country as Islamabad is on high alert after the call to march. God forbid the march becomes a big confrontation. The odds are stacked against Imran and people are questioning if he would succeed where others have failed.
Long Marches seldom achieve their stated goals and cause disruption to normal civic and economic activities. Imran Khan is building a public narrative that would hurt the national interest.
Our economic problems are much bigger and require deep structural reforms. However, the inadequate agendas of the political parties act as a hindrance in the way of deep structural economic reforms. We need to understand that structural reforms are impossible without political stability.
No matter which government comes into power, a common person is not going to find a change in his everyday life, if the political parties do not have proper economic plans to implement structural reforms.
There are no shortcuts. Solutions are simple; population control, proper education, productivity increase, reduction in unnecessary spending, and implementation is the hardest part.
The real problem is, we are living in a polarized society. Voters do not know how they will get in response to their vote but they cast the vote due to affiliation and relation with a political party or the candidate. This is the real enigma that can only be overcome through education and awareness.
One thing is however clear that neither the government is going packing nor the early elections are on the horizon. Whether the march disperses peacefully or not, it is going to have a long-lasting impact on the future of the PTI.
As the Long March is a big risk for families with children and older people, therefore, in the eyes of the right-thinking people it cannot be termed an Azadi March. According to them, the PTI is using the words of Naya Pakistan or Azadi March to mobilize its supporters.
If the objective of Imran Khan and PTI is to storm the federal capital city, create chaos, and bring the government down, apparently it seems difficult. They will accomplish nothing except having some exercise and strengthening their physiques. Politically they will achieve nothing and simply give way to anarchy.
Elections, elections, and fresh, fair, free, and transparent elections are their slogans. The answer is very simple. The majority of the people of our country are not interested in political games but want improvement in their living standards. Only the performance of the political parties can win over their hearts.
The Pakistani nation is well aware that there are too many warlords pushing the country into disorder and making their lives miserable. Let us stop building a powerhouse on shaky ground. Destabilizing social life will only lead to the weakening of economic life.
Unfortunately, providing relief to the people has not been on the priority list of any political party leaders. Day and night, they are involved in criticizing their opponents. What the people are witnessing is that they are facing artificial price inflation and is speaking for them.
What prevents political leaders from creating the best economic situation for the masses? Why they cannot think beyond video leaks and corruption cases? Why they cannot take practical steps to provide relief to the people?
A show of strength of mass power is okay, but the Long March should produce results in the interest of the people and the country.
The other side of the picture shows inflation has touched new heights after the PDM government stepped into power. Its sole agenda was to control price hikes in the country, but it demanded additional sacrifices from the public.
