Daily Times

He came, he saw, he left. The 13-day sit-in by the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F (JUI-F) will be remembered as the most futile political exercise in recent times. In fact, since its inception, the Azadi March looked devoid of any political strategy. JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman did not pay heed to the advice of Pakistan Peoples’ Party Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and other opposition parties to put off the sit-in plan. As he moved from Balochistan, the march kept swelling. By the time he arrived in Islamabad political pundits started seeing a victor in him. On the other hand, the government showed no panic, and with strong nerves and better crowd management, it let the marchers sit and speak. With the passage of time, the Maulana’s container started blaring out religious bigotry and frustration. His deadlines went unanswered from the government. In the last few days, he was looking visibly shaken and broken, and was fishing for an exit strategy. The merciless government had no such softness in its plans A to Z to provide saving grace to the corwd. Now, the party is over in Islamabad with the initiation of a Plan B, under which the clerics plan to impose a nationwide road blockade.

What will be implications of the so-called Plan B? While winding up the dharna, the Maulana told his activists to reach their native areas and shut down the country. This is again going to fail. No politics should allow piling up public miseries. The PPP government in Sindh has announced not to allow the road blockade anywhere in the province. Such disruptions in other provinces should also be repulsed instead of letting the workers occupy roads and clash with commuters and law-enforcement agencies. There are reports that some areas in Balochistan have already been blocked by the supporters of the Maulana in the face of government’s inaction.

Yet while retreating from the capital JUI-F is not leaving as a loser either. The sit-in has provided a much-needed space to his party at the political centre stage. Powers that be should not write off the street power of the religious party; it is suggested that the JUI-F be engaged in a meaningful dialogue. The government needs to revisit its conduct pertaining to political opponents and instead of treating them with scorn and contempt, it should see them as colleagues on the other side of the aisle. Otherwise, the economic miseries are likely to shape new political realities in the country. *