Daily Times

Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Imran Khan, has termed former PM Nawaz Sharif’s plans to travel to Lahore via GT road, in a parade, an attempt to undermine the Supreme Court.

Khan asserted that following his disqualification, Sharif is prepared to lash out against the democratic system and has lost any moral authority since his corruption was exposed in courts. However, Punjab Information Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman had said that the decision to change the programme had been taken on ‘public pressure’, adding that the journey to Lahore via GT Road would be completed at least in two days.

Khan is also convinced that Sharif is going on the GT Road to pressurise NAB, where his cases related to corruption, money laundering, tax evasion, concealment of assets and forgery are set to open. He was quick to remind everyone how PTI called off its protests once SC took up the rigging and corruption cases whereas, Sharif has taken to the streets, using state resources to “destroy the judiciary and thereby the democratic system.”

Interestingly enough, Khan conveniently forgot the events of 2014, when PTI staged and mobilised its supporters for dharna that was tactically called the Azadi March and lasted 126 days. While the march was marketed as a “peaceful protest”, lawlessness ensued once party workers broke into state-owned media enterprise, Pakistan Television (PTV) and took over the programming control. Some even tried to attack the Parliament. The situation was diffused once army stepped in to vacate the building.

Through 2014, Imran Khan emphasised his party’s commitment to protecting democracy. But is it really an attempt to preserve democratic order and maintain peacewhen his party members threatenedstate installations and continued their hooliganism in Islamabad?

Contrary to the dharna aimed towards Islamabad, former PM Sharif is returning home after his disqualification. His march does not intend to undo his party’s government. We hope that his return and massive movement on GT Road does not cause any public inconvenience. And that the entire political show remains peaceful.*

Published in Daily Times, August 8^th 2017.