The possibility that PTI chief |Imran Khan had left his party’s Long March for a meeting in Lahore gave rise to speculation that he had gone to take part in negotiations with the government. He himself rubbished these speculations in a tweet, but the departure from Shahdara was explained by him as part of the routine, by which the Long Marchers would disperse every night and be replaced by residents. Mr Khan further explained that the Long March would not move at night, as there was a security risk involved. A less charitable explanation might be a disappointment with the turnout. While there was a healthy debate about how many people had turned up, no one seemed to be arguing that the turnout equalled the PTI’s pre-March predictions, even if one allowed for the over-optimism of partisan enthusiasm.
The relation of this claim of talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s claim that Mr Khan had some time ago with an offer of talks on elections and the new COAS’s appointment was not immediately apparent, though it seemed clear that any talks are not conducted in the public gaze. Mr Sharif’s revelation was not counered by any revelation from the PTI’s side, even as it tried to avoid the miasma of violence that seemed to creep over the Long March.
There were no clear linkages between the muder in Kenya of journalist Arshad Sharif and the Long March, but the audio clip of former federal minister Ali Amin Gandapur indicated that there was some involvement of the PTI with arms and violence. Meanwhile, on Sunday, the death by accident of TV journalist Sadaf Naeem at Sadhoke caused Mr Khan to call off the Long March for the day. The only response to Mr Gandapur’s audio clip was that it was faked.
His followers probably hope that there will be fair winds, and the rest of the Long March will pass more smoothly. However, party is perhaps seeing the flipside of the coin, and may realise that the Long March is not all fun and games. One of the key components should be the maintenance of law and order. Mr Khan had committed to keeping his protest peaceful, and it is essential that he Long March remain focused on its goal of obtaining an election date, and should not be diverted to any more nefarious purpose. Apart from such a deed being wrong, the country’s economy, hit by floods even before it had recovered from the covid-19 pandemic, and threatened like the rest of the world by recession, cannot afford it.
