The showdown

The PTI has threatened to shut down Islamabad on November 2. It is indeed sad that a political party that actually governs  one of the provinces of the country is planning a shutdown of the country’s capital. However, the residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi can be rest assured that the PTI will not break any law during the shutdown therefore the routine of the residents can be followed easily. The PTI-led protest is not a disgruntled revolutionary movement, or a disenfranchised and disgruntled group – farmers, landless peasants, women, a minority ethnic or a religious group – but a political party that wants to be in power. The party governs an important province. It has substantial representation in parliament but the party, led by demagogue Imran, seem to be determined that everything in Pakistan must be burned down to the ground.

Is corruption a very bad thing? Of course it is. Should all governments try to tackle it? Of course they should. Is all of this really about the alleged corruption of the prime minister or that the PTI wishes to come in power at all costs? In 2014, the PTI’s dharna had caused a delay in the visit of the president of China to Pakistan which could have been an earlier launch of the CPEC project. This time, the situation is even more serious. If the PTI is successful enough in its proposed shut-down of Islamabad, it is difficult to imagine a scenario that does not ‘compel’ intervention. Is this really a risk worth taking for the PTI and its chairman? Either way, it certainly seems a high price for Pakistan to have to pay. But then for Imran Khan and so many other leaders, what does Pakistan’s interest have to do while they try to achieve their ambitions?

Sher Ali Khan

Mardan