In the past two weeks, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has attempted to stage protests in Punjab. Initially, a rally was held in Lahore, followed by an announcement for a rally in Mianwali. However, the Mianwali rally was later moved to Rawalpindi, and subsequently, the rally in Rawalpindi was converted into a protest. The government allowed the rally in Lahore but changed the venue. The PTI wanted to hold the rally at Minar-e-Pakistan, while the government granted permission for the Kahana Cattle Market instead. A protest was also announced outside Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi, but the government did not permit this protest.
On both occasions, the emphasis was on bringing people from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). In Lahore, Ali Amin Gandapur brought people from KP, although he arrived late, but the focus was on bringing people from KP. In the Rawalpindi protest, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur was again bringing people from KP. A convoy from KP was supposed to reach Rawalpindi for the protest. However, since the Punjab government did not permit this protest, a strategy was devised to stop the convoy coming from KP, and I believe the government succeeded because Ali Amin Gandapur could not reach Rawalpindi and had to turn back midway. Just like in Lahore, he could not make it to the rally before it ended.
The question arises as to what the strategy is behind bringing people from KP to protest or hold a rally in Punjab. I am not saying that there is any prohibition against this. However, it is important to question what strategy lies behind it. Is there an attempt to provoke a clash between KP and Punjab? Or is there another script behind this? This needs to be understood. Otherwise, if the people of KP want to protest, they can do so by holding a rally in KP itself. What do they intend to achieve by coming to Punjab to protest? What demands could they have from the Punjab government?
As for Islamabad, it can still be considered valid since the federal government is universal. If you protest against the federal government in Islamabad, everyone has the right to protest against it. The jurisdiction of the federal government extends over the entire country, so people from all over the country can protest against it. However, what grievances do the people from KP have against Punjab?
Why should they protest against the Punjab government or in Punjab? One opinion is that PTI’s biggest problem right now is Punjab. They are not able to mobilize people in Punjab. After May 9, PTI’s protest power in Punjab has diminished. The party is not receiving the political support needed for protests from Punjab. Gandapur and the people accompanying him add a political color to the protests, making it necessary to bring people from there; otherwise, what else can they do?
However, this is not the first time PTI is doing this. When Pervez Khattak was the Chief Minister and the Panama Papers issue was being highlighted, the founder of PTI had also asked Khattak to bring people from KP to Islamabad. Khattak managed to gather people, but the number was not more than ten thousand. At that time, the Chief Minister of Punjab was Mian Shahbaz Sharif. Khattak was stopped similarly to how Gandapur has been stopped. Then, there were calls to shut down Islamabad, and plans were made to attack offices in Islamabad after bringing people from KP.
Another opinion is that PTI’s leadership consciously wants a clash between Punjab and KP. They want a fight between the people of KP and Punjab to foster provincialism in KP.
Another strategy might be to bring thousands of people from KP to create chaos in Punjab. When they announce that they will free their founder from Adiala Jail, the underlying strategy is that if thousands gather in Rawalpindi, they could head towards Adiala as well.
The aim is to bring people from KP to attempt to topple the government, create bloodshed, and destabilize the government to create an environment for releasing Imran Khan. This time, a significant reason for stopping the protests is also mentioned: if the convoys were allowed to reach Rawalpindi, they would have aimed for Adiala. Later, it would be claimed that the people could not be controlled and had spontaneously headed towards Adiala, and that they were stopped by the authorities.
So far, Gandapur’s biggest failure is that he has not been able to bring the required number of people for these events. In Lahore, there were less than eight thousand people, and in Rawalpindi, he had no more than eight to ten thousand.
If you look at Gandapur’s statements, he has now said that they will shoot as well. That is, if they are stopped while coming to Punjab, they will respond with gunfire. The script remains the same: the fight between KP and Punjab. Otherwise, how could a Chief Minister make such a statement? If millions were to come out of Rawalpindi during the protest, who could stop them? The state can control a few hundred people, but it cannot stop thousands or millions. The game Gandapur is playing is dangerous. However, it is worth noting that the number of people coming with him is decreasing.
During the Sangjani rally, the turnout in Lahore was low, and for Rawalpindi, it was even less. Perhaps the people of KP are also understanding this game. They may not be ready for this bloodshed. Otherwise, the script is dangerous. Who will explain this to Gandapur? The first attempt to explain it has not been particularly successful, and the outcomes have been counterproductive. The state needs to stop this, but how? That question is of greater importance.