Why did Imran Khan abruptly end his March?

ISLAMABAD: Most people around Imran Khan do not know why he abruptly ended his Haqqiqi Azadi March before even reaching his announced destination, the D-Chowk, Islamabad.

The perception about the possible covert intervention of the establishment for the drop scene of the PTI march to Islamabad is also false as some credible sources in the defence forces categorically deny their role in this.

These sources said that the establishment neither contacted the PTI nor gave any assurance leading to the end of the PTI march. Any perception being created about a possible deal, the sources said, is also false.

Their last intervention, it is said, was to facilitate the meeting between the coalition government and PTI on Wednesday morning. Even in that meeting, the two sides were told by an establishment representative that the politicians should meet and discuss their irritants themselves without any outside intervention. Unfortunately, even Wednesday's meeting remained inconclusive.

Why did then Imran Khan end his march just contrary to his earlier consistent stance that the march and sit-in would not be called off till the announcement of the election date and dissolution of the National Assembly? Some senior leaders of the PTI when contacted do not have any idea of the reasons for the Thursday morning anti-climax of the Azadi March.

One of the leaders guessed that Imran Khan might have done it for the sake of the country's economy, which is badly suffering because of the political instability. Another PTI leader said that he does not know the reason but believed that it might have been ended because it was already too hectic and continuing it further for days was not possible.

Generally, three reasons are being discussed for the abrupt end of the PTI Haqqiqi Azadi March. Firstly, Imran Khan failed to gather impressive numbers in Islamabad. Secondly, he feared possible action from the Supreme Court because of the apex court order’s violation by the PTI. Thirdly, the deployment of army personnel in the Red Zone area following the government's notification.

In his public speech on Thursday morning where he announced the end of his march and gave a new deadline of six days, Imran Khan said that the government wanted to create a rift between the PTI and the armed forces and police, which he would never allow. He said that the government wanted anarchy.