Pakistan: PTI-PAT - Taking detours?

The two parties protesting in the capital — Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) — who joined hands to achieve similar ends regardless of being triggered by different motivations, it seems are parting ways. The former under the leadership of Imran Khan initially chose the electoral democratic process to come into power, but later on resorted to undemocratic means to uproot an elected government and forced its own party lawmakers to tender their resignations, whereas the latter, under the leadership of a demagogue — Tahirul Qadri — who initially wanted to bring down the incumbent government through agitation, after spending some time at the Constitution Avenue, has finally come to respect the Constitution itself. The announcement of Tahirul Qadri to take part in the next general elections is a positive indication. It is a welcome sign that the party has come to understand that resorting to violence and agitation is not going to help their ‘revolutionary march’ and their demands of getting justice. Qadri has also decided to move his ‘revolution’ (following the footsteps of Imran Khan) across the country by holding rallies in different cities, as his protestors were getting weary of sitting at D-Chowk and wanted to spend their Eid at home with their families. PAT probably wishes to replicate the phenomenon of the PTI rallies held in Karachi and Lahore.

Meanwhile, the grandiose Imran Khan, who after the inevitable waning of the Islamabad sit-in, shifted to countrywide rallies, in his Mianwali gathering once again showed his determination to not back off until the prime minister resigns. On the issue of the anti-government ‘go Nawaz go’ campaign, a slogan that has gone viral and has caused many scuffles between PTI and PML-N supporters, Khan believes it is everyone’s democratic right to chant this slogan. However, he does not seem to understand the implications of such provocations, which are directly leading to violent clashes now. If the same concerted effort of the anti-government campaign keeps on going, the chances of such violent clashes are high and as former PTI president Javed Hasmhi has rightly put it, this might push the country towards a civil war. To camouflage such incitement under the umbrella of democratic rights is not going to help the political system or the country. If anything it is damaging the political culture and setting a wrong precedent. It is an entirely different thing to have differences of opinion or the right to protest but pursuing differences in such a provocative manner is a dangerous thing to go for. The party leaders from both sides should discourage such acts and instead work while remaining within the framework of democracy.