Imran Khan’s call for nationwide protest on November 24 has been mixed to a great extent with determination and skepticism within his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Party spokesperson Sheikh Waqqas Akram said that workers across the country will converge on Islamabad and stay there until the demands are met, though the sustainability of the movement is in question.
There have long been assumptions about the relative quietness of the Punjab leadership due to PTI, as insiders claim this silence is a result of the failure of an earlier protest attempt nearby the time when SCO summit was held itself, which turned out to be a flop.
Meanwhile, while Aleema Khan, Imran’s sister, shares concerns that so much of a ‘final call’ is being issued too early, her brother remains undeterred. The three core demands of the protests are set as repeal of the 26th Amendment, return of their “stolen mandate,” and release of the PTI leaders incarcerated, including Imran Khan himself.
Contrary to the previous fiasco when party workers were arrested throughout the country, PTI is claimed to be framing a new strategy for the sit-in. Under the strategy, MNA, MPA, ticket-holders, and office-bearers will receive tasks to make the event a success.
KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur will spearhead the sit-in in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while the leadership of Punjab will lead their contingents. One of the criticisms of the last round of protests was that leaders such as Gandapur had retreated into safety, leaving their supporters stranded.
Aleema Khan said she was confident that the government would not imprison the whole opposition and that the sheer numbers of protestors would overwhelm any official resistance. Still, even with fund-raising efforts from PTI’s overseas chapters, the party is financially in a tight spot on the local front, and those demand MPs raise funds at the constituency level for the protest.
Imran Khan, speaking from Adiala Jail, reiterated that the protest was to be for exercising the rule of law and in protection of democracy. The party has appealed directly to the young, students, women and laborers to participate in the movement on 24 November, hoping a big turnout will give amplification to their demands.
Hammad Azhar, who was a leader of PTI in Punjab, said people were willing to move towards Islamabad and termed the government fascist while standing with Imran Khan on the cause for freedom.
A stratagems of PTI can be interpreted as an attempt to mobilize its base once again. No doubt, the heavy cost the party has been paying through damaged morale and drain of resources because of previous protests, will soon make it clear whether such a renewed call for protest is able to reach the desired numbers in case of Imran Khan and his party.
