Daily Times

Third consecutive November and Islamabad is facing a third cleric mob. The JUI-F under Maulana’s command inculpated the PTI government for intentionally hampering the live coverage to protestors. While on the other hand, Special Assistant to Prime Minister for Media and Broadcast, Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan slammed the JUI Leadership in a tweet for not allowing women anchors and reporters to cover the Azaadi March hence reflecting the extremist mindset.

The current government’s controlled media policy and censorships have been seriously criticized by Media groups and senior journalists. Despite the little coverage given to Maulana Fazal ur Rehman’s March, the social media is indicating a different picture, a very impressive crowd that Maulana has gathered.

The prime objective of this long march protest is Prime Minister’s resignation. Maulana Fazal ur Rehman has given an ultimatum to Prime Minister Imran Khan to resign from the premiership. He declared that the General Elections of 2018 were rigged and denounced this Selection.

The most astounding feature of this Long March is the opposition support from all Left and Right-wing political parties. The two major players of Pakistani politics, the PPP and PML(N) were quite reluctant in contending the establishment that Selected the Prime Minister (as the Chairman of PPP Bilawal Bhutto coined the term Prime Minister Select for Imran Khan in the felicitation speech in National Assembly after the Elections 2018), so Maulana decided to go alone.

The Pakistan People’s Party always cherishes to play the cards of anti-establishment, but this time, JUI-F succeeded to build the anti-establishment capital and defiled the aspirations of smooth relations between state institutions. The credit for building the anti-establishment narrative among political parties and a clique of Pakistani people go to PTM which further paved the way that a big faction is now denouncing the establishment for this Poor Selection.

The JUI-F is apparently playing the card of middle and lower-income group miseries and holding the current government accountable for the poor economic plans and governance. The street power of Maulana is clearly apprising the PTI government to restructure the economic policies as well as to negotiate with the Opposition.

Political Stability is paramount for the peace and security of the country. This is a high time for the Establishment to cognize the fact that the country is facing external as well as internal threats, and it is not in their long term interests to antagonize the opposition and people of Pakistan by cherry-picking.

It is the responsibility of Government to handle the situation carefully and this Dharna culture must be stopped and the writ of state must not be challenged at any cost.