While Tahir-ul-Qadri, the Pakistan Awami Tehrik chief, has wound up his 68 day dharna in Islamabad and moved on to hold jalsas in various cities, PTI’s Imran Khan, remains dug in at D-Chowk.
Qadri does not accept that he has fallen short of achieving his revolution. This is what he declared on Tuesday last: “We came to Islamabad to change the regime, but before that could happen, a change came about in the nation’s thinking.” Addressing his followers, he said: “You may now gather your things and return to your homes with the spirit of success in your hearts. I am now entering the second phase of my revolution. I will be taking this movement on the road and spread it to other parts of the country.” He announced plans to hold public meetings at Abbotabad, Bhakkar, Sargodha, Sialkot and Karachi.
What has the demagogue “Sheikh-ul-Islam” Qadri achieved? Along with Imran Khan, he has exposed the PMLN government, focusing on the “misdeeds” of the Sharif brothers, and building up a strong case for change. His eloquent and fiery speeches have stirred up the masses. In addition, he succeeded in getting FIRs recorded against Nawaz and Shahbaz. At the same time, mention must be made of his volte face in accepting the relevance and validity of the parliamentary system, which earlier he denounced.
Imran Khan has stuck to his oft-repeated stand: that he would continue the dharna until he has secured Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s resignation. “I will not leave this container until PM Nawaz Sharif resigns and an independent investigation into rigging in the 2013 elections is held. A government was formed as a result of rigging the election in violation of the Constitution while we are still being denied justice,” he said while talking atop the container to the crowd sitting below, on Tuesday.
While the PTI dharna crowd has thinned considerably, PTI has been holding mammoth public meetings in various cities. The next jalsa is scheduled in Gujrat.
What has Imran Khan achieved so far? He has awakened people to rise; to struggle for their rights, to get rid of “corrupt” and “anti people” leaders through accountability and reform. He is bent upon forcing the ouster of Nawaz Sharif. He calls the national and provincial assemblies illegitimate (ja’ali) except for the KPK Assembly where PTI has the majority. At his behest, PTI’s MPAs and MNAs have tendered their resignations from the National Assembly and the Provincial Assemblies of Punjab and Sindh.
Imran has shown remarkable determination to stick to the goals set by him. His record of achievements from the World Cup to Shaukat Khanum Hospital, have won him enormous popularity amongst the youth and middle class Pakistanis. He believes that his party won the 2013 elections and that the results were stolen, depriving him of the office of the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
His major success since the start of the long march and the dharnas so far, is the setting up of a parliamentary committee to reform the electoral system and a broad agreement to establish a commission consisting of Supreme Court judges to probe into the 2013 elections. These are significant and substantial gains, and the PTI should have, by now ended the dharnas. While the dharnas continue, the PTI is also holding huge meetings in various cities possibly to prepare for coming local government and midterm general elections.
On the other end, PML-N governments at the centre and in the Punjab are under considerable pressure because of the repeated show of strength by PTI and on account of a number of cases filed before the higher courts. The PML-N leadership’s moral authority was badly hit in the Model Town police killings followed by registration of the FIR. Serious accusations relating to corruption, nepotism and misuse of authority are leveled against the Sharif brothers at D-Chowk and the massive public meetings elsewhere. Faulty policies and “reprehensible” practices on the part of the government are also underscored and dramatically projected by the electronic media. Peoples’ misery is directly attributed to poor governance on the part of the PML-N administration. Mention may in particular be made of electricity loadshedding and inflated bills. These charges are hurled day after day.
The PML-N’s response to these accusations has remained inadequate and unsatisfactory. It has been, instead, advancing counter charges directed at Imran, the PTI leadership and the KPK government’s performance. It is pointed out that some of the PTI’s leading lights were earlier aligned with Musharraf’s and Zardari’s regimes. PTI dubs the elected assemblies at the centre and in the three provinces of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan as counterfeit while the KPK provincial assembly is not only admitted as legitimate but also hailed as a model institution. The obvious inconsistency is cavalierly overlooked. The party record regarding flood relief and care of the IDPs is also generally viewed by the public as disappointing.
Considering the war going on in FATA, the dire state of the economy and Indian aggression along the LoC, it is time for Imran to review his political stand. He should realize that after the unanimous support of the National Assembly and the Senate, Nawaz Sharif is not going to resign.
It is in fact advisable at this juncture, that the top leadership of the major parties including the PTI sit together and sort out their differences. The possibility of Nawaz Sharif agreeing to hold early elections because of the pressure of the circumstances cannot be entirely ruled out. Although belated, it is good that the Prime Minister has stirred a little to take steps to improve governance. A welcome start is a thorough review of the performance of various federal ministries. Much more needs to be done, at various levels, to plug holes, fill gaps and provide much-needed relief to the people.

n    The writer is an ex-federal secretary and ambassador, and a freelance political and international relations analyst.