Daily Times

LAHORE: Contrary to the previous three major gatherings by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) at the Minar-i-Pakistan, youth of the city showed little interest in Sunday’s rally over what they called the party losing its track by taking the ‘turncoats’ into its fold.

The fourth show in the city, which the PTI claimed as a historic one, was a bit different from the previous rallies as this time more political workers participated in the meeting than the general public. However, the pomp and show, which is a special characteristic of PTI rallies, was no less.

Talking to Daily Times, Ehsan Tariq, 30, who actively took part in two of PTI’s public gatherings at Minar-i-Pakistan, expressed dissatisfaction and disappointment over the party’s policy of accepting so-called ‘electables’ from other parties. Ehsan said that he was very confused about PTI’s policies, especially during the previous four to six months. “But, the situation in last over one month has left me hopeless,” he said.

He said that he along with his family members and friends participated in the public gatherings of October 30, 2011, and March 23, 2013. “But, this time when I saw that PTI has welcomed all the traditional politicians despite its claims of bringing change through new faces, I decided to keep myself away,” he said, adding that though a lot of people participated in the rally, most of them were the workers of the politicians who had recently joined the party.

Another youngster, Faisal Nawaz, 25, said that his forefathers were dedicated voters and supporters of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) but he went against them and attended PTI’s public meeting in 2011. “In the aftermath of Panama case, my father and uncles decided not to vote and support PML-N, but they also refused to support PTI in the next election. And this time, I too am with them,” he said, adding that PTI is now no different from the other political parties. “It is now a party which includes people who have criminal record and are part of the traditional political system where vote is decided mainly on the basis of caste,” he said.”Although PTI got a number of new workers, the common man with no political affiliations is now parting ways with it,” he added.

Another PTI supporter, Beenish Amjad, was of the view that she still supports PTI and Imran Khan’s stance despite the fact that several people have joined the party who shouldn’t have been allowed to be part of it. “But, one needs support of the people who can win seats to form the government,” she said. When asked why she didn’t attend the public gathering, she said that attending public gatherings doesn’t necessarily mean that one will definitely vote for the party. “It’s just a power show, which I don’t like,” she observed, adding that a lot better could have done with the money being spent on the public gathering.

Published in Daily Times, April 30^th 2018.