ISLAMABAD: “A day before, my father told me that we would celebrate Eidul Azha at our home. But he did not answer to my question regarding the revolution promised by our leader Allama Tahirul Qadri.”

This was stated by Huma Naeem, 22, from Mianwali while talking to Dawn in her tent on the Constitution Avenue. She has been participating in the sit-in of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) along with her family members for the last 46 days.

She said though they had been on the road for the last one-and-a-half months, the revolution promised by the PAT chief was not in sight.

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“I was not interested in participating in the sit-in but my father asked me to join him as it was the directions of Allama Qadri to reach Islamabad to bring the revolution in the country.”

Some are happy at thought of being home for Eid

Huma said the PAT leadership was now trying to convince their supporters and followers that they had succeeded in bringing a revolution by creating awareness among the people about their rights.

“I am doing masters in English from the University of Sargodha. When I will return home in the next few days, what will I tell my friends about the gains from the sit-in,” she questioned.

Huma Nazeer Chohan, 38, a resident of Sheikhupura, is a textile mill supervisor in Lahore but he had to leave his job to participate in the sit-in because he failed to get leaves from the factory.

“Though I sacrificed my job to participate in the sit-in, it seems the struggle of the participants will go to waste as the leadership is trying to make the minds of the participants to leave the sit-in before Eid,” he said. Haleema Bibi, 48, a resident of Sialkot district, is suffering from a throat infection.

But she was happy that they would return to their homes before Eidul Azha.

“It is very difficult to survive in such an unhygienic environment. My three ailing children - two daughters and a son - have already left the sit-in as their schools and offices did not allow them to continue their stay here,” she said.

Haleema said her husband, who was a patient of blood pressure, was a supporter of the PAT chief that was why they were participating in the sit-in.

“I was very much worried after the recent flood in Sialkot but thank God my home is safe but it destroyed our agricultural land,” she explained.

“My husband told me that we would celebrate the Eid at our home. I am very happy that I would do the Eid shopping for my children after reaching Sialkot,” Haleema added.

Sagheer Akhtar, 44, a resident of Layyah, said he was confident that the PAT leadership would succeed in bringing a revolution. However, he added, it became difficult for the party to achieve the target with the passage of time.

“It looks that no one will be ready to buy the words of the leadership of the PAT or the PTI if they failed to fulfil their promise,” Akhtar said.

“Why our leaders like to blackmail their followers by using the name of their religion,” he questioned.

He said the PAT leadership should try to convince the government for the electoral reforms to ensure free and fair elections in the country in future.

“I don’t know what I will share with my relatives, friends and neighbours about the achievements we made during the sit-in,” he added.

When contacted, Umar Riaz Abbasi, the spokesman for the PAT, told Dawn that the party leadership had decided to allow the participants of the sit-in to celebrate Eid at their homes.

He said the partly leadership believed that they had already created an awareness among the people of their rights.

Owing to the sit-in, the results of the next elections will be different, he claimed.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2014