MOST political parties, with good standing among the people, have refused to support Imran Khan’s ill-considered agenda and his ‘Azadi March’.

They assume that this agitational politics would derail Pakistan from the path of democracy. The question is, if Mr Khan has no political standing and if his demands are unconstitutional, why are people supporting him? Why have the PTI’s rallying slogan of ‘change’ and PAT’s battle cry of ‘revolution’ become political buzzwords?

His initial demand was for recounting and audit of votes cast at four specific constituencies. It was a fair demand, but the government did not pay heed. Thus, he not only mounted pressure on the government by bringing along thousands of protesters to challenge the legitimacy of the incumbent government, but also raised a question mark about a political system that to many a person seems to be flawed and which allows corrupt politicians to come to power through the rigging of an election.

He asserted that the political system is monopolised by a few. The electoral system is not transparent and prevents true public representation.

While there is weight in his criticism, Mr Khan has committed a number of political blunders also, such as encouraging his opponents to misinterpret and misrepresent his movement.

His way of challenging the media, the government, and the Constitution and, most importantly, his unsubstantiated accusations against the judiciary isolated him.

His demand for the prime minister’s resignation prompted widespread criticism against him, as it seemed irrational from the legal point of view. His next blunder was to call for civil disobedience. This damaged his image. On the other hand, Prime Minister Nwaz Sharif strengthened his position in the public eye by giving conciliatory leeway to the marchers, in order to avoid riots and violence.

He did not order security forces to clear the streets, rather he showed patience to wear the protesters down. Thus, out of the 12 political parties in parliament, 11 have given their support to the prime minister.

On the other hand, the Sharif brothers should have realised that the reformation of the political system is way overdue and needs to be carried out on a war-footing if the system is to survive and deliver.

Tasmia Tahera

Islamabad

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2014