Finally, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march has kicked off from Lahore’s Liberty Chowk under the leadership of former prime minister Imran Khan.
He describes his protest march a ‘Jehad’. He says he will not storm the capital’s ‘Red Zone’ and is also uncertain if he would stage a sit-in there, suggesting that the march may be just a one-day affair.
IK is believed to be conscious, rightly so, of the fact that his failure to secure a government agreement to go for early elections may turn out to be a disaster for PTI’s political prospects in the future. There are harsh realities on the ground that he is being forced to contend with.
There are a lots of reasons that tend to project IK’s ‘long march’ plan as a gamble. Three of these need to be kept in mind. First, the government is determined to intercept the marchers at the gates of the capital city.
While Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has repeatedly expressed his determination to punish what he calls the law-breakers, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says the federal government would not allow the “certified thief” to reach the capital.
Second, Imran Khan’s audio leaks and his disqualification by the Election Commission of Pakistan do whittle down his repetitive claim of being the harbinger of Riasat-e-Madina. Third, the history of successive marches and sit-ins in the capital should be a clear message to him that this ‘long march’ too would not succeed in forcing the government to reconsider its position that the general elections would not take place before August 2023.
But there is a question: Can the country afford the removal of opposition from its democratic ambiance? The PTI is the only political party which is out of the Parliament now
As a first step, PTI should return to parliament and fight the government on its floor. IK is the most popular leader with the largest vote bank in the country. Therefore, his role in parliament would certainly strengthen the cause of democracy.
Insofar as the government is concerned, it should undertake tangible steps for actualization of its call for a grand dialogue the prime minister has been talking about for quite some time.
