THE stand-off brought about by the dharnas in Islamabad brings Pakistan face to face with a situation without precedent in the country’s history. Political ‘experts’ can at best pretend that they know, and then they can pretend a little more when the situation demands a change in their position.

One moment assurances are given that the past is not going to intervene, and the very next minute suspicions are raised about the protesters being led by unseen masters.

For its part, the PML-N is clearly under pressure and perturbed, and the party and its allies are leaving nothing to chance. They are not content with statements that remind the protesters that a government brought to power by millions cannot be browbeaten into submission by a few thousand demonstrators on the road and by what many see as their unreasonable demands.

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They are not satisfied with the fact that while they have won the backing of so many political forces in the country and of international power-brokers, the protesters appear isolated. They are, apparently, not satisfied by the assurances of non-interference they themselves claim the military high command has given them.

Since this is unknown territory that everyone is trying to navigate, they feel they cannot avoid countering street power with street power. The political stakes are far too high to stop them from taking the risk of a rally of their own spiralling out of control and ending in violent confrontation with the followers of the PTI and Dr Tahirul Qadri’s PAT.

The PML-N allies — veterans such as Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Mehmood Khan Achakzai — have been quite eager to confront the protests with people’s power. They could have alternately tried to bridge the differences as some other old-timers are doing. The men belonging to Ahl-i-Sunnat Wal Jamaat have also made an impact, by the side of the government.

The PML-N itself has graduated from allegedly carrying out freak attacks in Gujranwala and Multan against their opponents to call for full-fledged shows of strength in various cities. These shows have been — are expected to be — strong, reconfirming the PML-N’s presence. They will ensure some television time. But what these rallies also do is they compound the impression of disorder, and could actually be aiding those seeking to disrupt proceedings here. After all the calculations have been made, the resort to street power by the government could well be taken as a sign of desperation.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2014