PESHAWAR
At a time when Malaysia’s Prime Minister embarked on an official visit to Pakistan, signaling potential opportunities for collaboration, the protest call given by the PTI leadership at federal capital Islamabad on Friday was being termed as totally irrational and beyond understanding.
As economic recovery gained roots after Govt. secured a landmark USD 7billion bailed out package recently from IMF, and the price-hike slashed to a single digit, the uncalled for agitation call given by the Pakistan Tahrik e Insaf leadership at D Chowk Islamabad was tantamount of creating political and economic instability and depriving the country from direct foreign investment, experts say.
The political and economic observers maintained that Pakistan’s economy has started moving in upward trajectory after the prudent economic reforms introduced by the PMLN Govt that was also praised by the world’s top monetary institutions.
“From protest agitation call, it is seemed that PTI leadership is not interested in the economic recovery of the country rather trying to get relief for PTI founder, who was in jailed in serious corruption cases,” said Ikhtair Wali Khan, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Information Secretary and former MPA while talking to APP.
Declaring the uncalled for protest demonstrations and roads agitations of PTI leadership as unjustified, Ikhtair Wali Khan said PTI leadership did not learn lesson from past mistakes and flopped Dharna at D Chowk in the past and was again repeating the same blunder despite losing KP and Punjab Govts due to premature dissolution of assemblies of these provinces.
Terming PTI’s politics of hooliganism as detrimental for democracy, he said that Pakistan Tahrik e Insaf’s agitation first at Lahore and later in Rawalpindi have totally negated the spirit of democratic principles and political tolerance.
“The clashes of PTI workers with Punjab Police exposed the tall claims of the former calling themselves as champion of democracy and rule of law,” he said, adding “PTI workers’ scuffling with law enforcers at Rawalpindi were also tantamount to take law into hands and create anarchy in society merely for the sake of politics.
“PTI workers have not only violated the 144CrpC at Rawalpindi and Lahore but also tarnished their own image before the entire nation due to uncalled for political hooliganism,” he said, alleging that pelting of stones on police’s vehicles and breaking citizens’ cars has no service to the nation.
The PMLN leader said that no government could allow holding of agitation rallies and demonstrations at red zone especially at Islamabad, claiming that the PTI has been repeatedly requested to postpone its rally for security reasons that were not reciprocated well.
“The Rawalpindi and Lahore flopped rallies exposed the PTI leadership’s deep frustration and anxiety after people of Punjab kept their distance from it,” he said.
Ikhtair Wali reiterated the CM KP was known for raising merely empty tall slogans and advised him to stage rallies and walks anywhere he chooses as there was no issue with peaceful public gatherings.
However he urged CM KP to start a public meeting from his home constituency of DI Khan and other southern districts where the law and order situation was deteriorating due to lackluster policies of the PTI Govt that came into power with slogans of change.
“When a three-time elected Prime Minister Muammad Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz could face court cases and imprisonment in politically motivated cases without any protest in their favour then why not PTI founder,” he said.
Former KP Minister Wajid Ali Khan said there was no need of taking out protest rallies and walks in Islamabad as media is free and politicians’ voices could easily be reached to every corner of the country through press conferences and media talks.
He said bringing hordes of protesters from Khyber Pakthunkhwa to Islamabad and Lahore was tantamount to putting extraordinary pressure on Govt and state institutions in a bid to get relief for the PTI founder.
The former minister alleged that KP Govt resources were massively used in Lahore and Rawalpindi flopped shows, adding the taxpayers had all right to ask from CM KP where their money was utilized.
He said that the billion trees project was taken over by the NAB while BRT was facing a shortfall of Rs3.2 billion annually and dozens of mini macro dams constructed in northern KP were washed by the 2022 floods, exposing PTI Govt’s ill planning and poor selection of sites on rivers and water streams.
“Like PTI “Jail Bharo Movement”, he said this aimless agitation campaign of PTI would also miserably fail, adding four years of PTI government was responsible for the economic quagmire in the country.
They questioned the utilization of Rs 417 billion provided to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Govt since 2010 under the NFC award including the period of 10 years of PTI.
They claimed that why standard things like a safe city project, forensics, and DNA labs were not established by the PTI rulers and why the counter-terrorism department was not fully equipped in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where cases of terrorism have again surged.
The political experts said that further wrangling among political parties would serve no purpose rather weaken democratic institutions and create anarchy in society.
Due to political wrangling among political players in the past, they said democracy was derailed four times in Pakistan and that no elected prime minister completed his five year constitutional terms in the country’s parliamentary history.
They said the geopolitical and security situation in the region was evolving in the wake of the Middle East crisis and underscored the need for a political unity imperative for economic and financial stability of Pakistan.
To ensure continuity of democracy and strengthening of democratic institutions, it was necessary that all political forces should sit together and hold meaningful dialogue imperative to bring political and economic stability to the country.
All the stakeholders across the political spectrum must prioritize the needs of the populace and the country’s economic future over partisan interests.
The experts expressed the hope that the PTI leadership would concentrate on people problems and development projects in KP rather than take law in hands, and contribute to the country’s economic stability vital for a prosperous nation.
