Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Government has formally dismantled the historic parade ground commonly known as ‘D-Chowk’ whereas Interior Ministry and Ministry of Capital Administration and Development Division (CAAD) are working on several proposals to introduce a new structure on the site but nothing has been finalised so far.

Having the back view of Parliament House and President House, the D-Chowk is a large public square at the junction of Jinnah Avenue with Constitution Avenue in the federal capital. The stairs on both the sides of Jinnah Avenue was first constructed by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) in 1988 in the government of Benazir Bhutto. It was a routine before the establishment of new parade ground near Shakarparian that the historic Pakistan Day parade was held at this site.

The ‘D-Chowk’ on several occasions had become a headline and seeks concentration of national and international mass media in the political history of Pakistan. First in 1979, the religious parties staged a massive protest at D-Chowk to pursue their agenda and right after one year that the people belongs to Shia sect under the leadership of Allama Jafar Naqvi approached the site and demanded amendment in Zakat and Usher law. It is a historic fact that the first pure political gathering at parade ground was held under the leadership of Punjab former chief minister Nawaz Sharif on the first death anniversary of the military dictator general Ziaul Haq in 1989.

In 2008, the ‘D-Chowk’ once again packed with thousands of lawyers across the country who joined the protest for the restoration of former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. The incumbent Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif delivered concluding speech in that procession. The year 2013 left a new concept of long sit-ins at D-Chowk, which was introduced by the religious cleric Dr Tahirul Qadri whereas right after one year in 2014, both Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri once again reached at parade ground and staged sit-ins of 126 days side by side, which are being considered as longest protest ever in the political history of Pakistan.

Now, following the recent sit-in staged by the supporters of the killer of former governor Punjab Sulman Taseer, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has finally announced to dismantle the site of D-Chowk.

A source in CDA Engineering Wing said, “We don’t have the idea that what the government is going to do with D-Chowk. We just received orders by the Interior Ministry to supplant the existing stairs from the both edges of parade ground”. He further said, “It was also communicated to our department that the dismantling process should be carried out swiftly”.

The hurry to dismantle the D-Chowk is out of understanding, as government has no alternate plan so far. CADD Ministry secretary while talking to the Daily Times said, “We want to convert the site into something which will look good but we didn’t finalise anything yet”.

Peaceful protests and agitations are the beauty of democracy and the decision to dismantle the parade ground is a move to curb the people’s right, freedom of expression. Pakistan has no exception but the whole world have their own places where masses commonly hold protests. The Times Magazine takes a look at plazas and public squares across the world that played host to tremendous scenes of political upheaval. A list in this regard includes the names Tahrir Square Cairo, Tiananmen Square Beijing, Wenceslas Square Prague, Azadi Square Tehran, Place de la Bastille Paris, Plaza de las Tres Culturas Mexico City, Decembrists’ Square St Petersburg, Trafalgar Square London, Independence Square Kiev and Union Square New York city. There is no example to dismantle a place of protest or public square under the threat that such place can further be used for protest in future, as the peaceful protest is a routine matter in civilized societies. A senior police officer on the condition of anonymity said, “The decision to dismantle the parade ground is useless as if protesters will hold their demonstration in any other part of the Jinnah Avenue than is it possible that government will dismantle the whole Avenue”. He further said, “Government should provide a suitable place to protestors if it wants to avoid inconvenience in future and a consensus on site should be evolved through political process”.