After organizing various huge rallies in different cities of Punjab Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf held a successful Larkana Jalsa. Larkana has been Pakistan Peoples Party’s stronghold since the party’s initial days and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto ruled the area, but it seems successful rally of PTI provides the hint of change. Imran Khan, while talking to the rally thanked the people of Larkana for giving him a warm welcome. He said that he is glad that PTI hold the rally in the open fields as no other area could contain such a large number of people. He promised the people of Sindh that PTI will never allow Sindh to be divided. He also said that KalaBagh dam would not be built unless there is a consensus on this issue. He said that he was aware with the fear of people of Sindh that if Kalabagh dam was built, their share of water will be stolen. He said that after coming into power, PTI will ensure equal rights to all minorities. His appeal in places that are considered strongholds of other parties should be a wake up call for the PPP to take Imran’s political challenge seriously and improve its governance drastically or PPP may or may not remain even a provincial party.
On the other side, Imran Khan has often said regarding the November 30th rally that he cannot guarantee the protest will remain peaceful and given what happened when he claimed to be organizing a ‘peaceful’ demonstration, the government is right to be alarmed. Khan recently in his one of the addresses at D chowk dharna intimated that he would try and keep the protest peaceful but he can’t guarantee that if the protesters would be peaceful if the force used by the government to put hurdle on their way or the justice would not be given to the PTI on November 30. The federal government on the other hand is taking the PTI’s challenge very seriously and it seems determined to prevent a repeat of the damage done in August.
On the other side, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is firmed that country is not heading for any mid-term elections and all political parties have to wait till 2018 when the government’s tenure will end. He said that 2018 will be the year when every party will be tested based on its past performance and the people of Pakistan will decide their own fate with the power of ballet paper. He has said that the flaws in the electoral process can be corrected only via constitution and through parliament; this sensitive issue can not be solved by protesting on the roads. Due to the protests of PTI and PAT for a record period of time in the history no sit-in crossed the hundred day had put great pressure on the government in the mid of August in the beginning but government got stabilized after PPP provided utmost support to them in the Parliament. Infact speculations of the mid term polls were emerging.
Protesting parties after not achieving the desired results have started to launch jalsa in various cities of the country. The ongoing jalsa culture that has created an election-like atmosphere and people are participating in huge numbers in the rallies of PTI and PAT.
Following the foot steps PPP, JI and now PML Q have held huge public gathering.
Jamaat-e-Islami has just concluded its three-day-long congregation in Lahore. Imran Khan in all his jalsas calling the people to come on Nov 30 jalsa in the capital as it would be the solution of all their problems and corrupt elements would be eliminated from the politics. Qadri on the other hand, has once again hinted at rejoining his ‘political cousin’ on November 30th, if the latter invites him. The country is possibly facing yet another political debacle similar to the one of August 14 and its aftermath.
Now question arises, would the government give a save field to the PTI to hold the rally, chances seem bleak as authorities have decided to put the containers and blocking the ways which head towards the D-Chowk. It seems that government would not provide the same sort of chance to let the people enter into the capital and they would not repeat the same mistake which they have done in the August. Only in 2013, the country witnessed a landmark transition of power from one party to another through democratic means. That transition might have irritated some but it definitely laid the ground for building stable, strong democratic institutions. But the elections were rigged claimed by almost all the political parties, even the ones in the power. Now all the stockholders must come united for the electoral reforms putting a side their egos as ultimately all the politicians would go away safe putting the blames on each other in case of any tragedy this country and its people would be the biggest sufferers.
