By Sardar Khan Niazi
Likely clashes between the supporters of the PTI joining the Islamabad long march and the PDM government forces will not serve any national cause.
There is a stir among government circles concerning Imran Khan’s announcement of plans for another “long march” to Islamabad by the members and supporters of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to press for immediate polls.
He has directed party workers to become ready for the real freedom march, as it will be a battle for Pakistan and not for PTI. However, the PDM government ahead of the expected PTI long march has decided not to allow the PTI to hold its planned long march to the capital.
In this regard, the participants of the meeting held at the Prime Minister’s House reiterated their support for the federal government to thwart any attempt to ‘invade’ Islamabad. Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said during the meeting that our preparations regarding Imran Khan’s long march are complete.
The participants of the meeting did not realize that their wrong policies have already destabilized the country politically and economically. Therefore, giving free hand to federal Minister Rana Sanaullah in this regard is not going to serve their ulterior motives.
However, Imran Khan says that he will give the federal government a surprise this time, as the government was clueless about his plan. This march is just one of the many things we intend to do. This march is not the be-all and end-all. We have various other things planned as well, adds Imran Khan.
Earlier, a similar protest by the PTI saw a vicious crackdown by the government, with Imran Khan alleging the killing of at least five of its supporters in clashes with police. The PTI supporters were surprised by the government’s harsh response.
When Imran Khan was the prime minister, the PTI government allowed the opposition three marches and it never stopped them. There was no harassment or police interference. However, when PTI went for the march, the crackdown it faced was unprecedented.
The terrorism charges, along with Pakistan’s electronic media regulator banning the live broadcasts of the PTI rallies have not been able to curb the PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s voice.
The PDM government’s fresh attempt to deny Imran Khan’s mobilizing masses is not going to succeed. Time will tell whether this will be successful. However, there are threatening signs of upcoming chaos.
Imran Khan has criticized the PDM government over its handling of the economy and has once again called for immediate elections in the country. The problem is that the incumbent government is pushing the country to the brink. If the economy sinks, it will become impossible for even for the coming ruling party to bring it on track.
Pakistan’s already struggling economy was disturbed by the devastating floods this summer with the government estimating the total loss at $30bn. Pakistan’s poverty rate is likely to rise due to the floods. Nearly 20 percent of its 220 million people are already below the poverty line, says a World Bank report.
In spite of the aid package for the flood-hit country given by the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund the economy will pose a challenge.
Twenty percent of the country’s textile industries remain closed due to unemployment. Almost 50 percent of our car industry and mobile phone industry are closed. The textile industry was on strike; the farmers have gone on strike.
The sooner the country has political stability, the quicker it will have economic stability. Time is of the essence for Pakistan. That is why the PTI is holding a long march in the federal capital demanding early elections.
