ISLAMABAD: Friday was a day of disillusionment for those on Constitution Avenue, as the government and the protesting parties continued to trade accusations and pointed finger at each other for involving the army in a political matter.

Many Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Paksitan Awami Tehreek (PAT) workers seemed hopeful on Thursday night and early the next day – following the two party chiefs’ meeting with the army chief.

“Let me tell you, we are very close to our objective. Following the army chief’s intervention, we are confident the government will no longer be able to cover up the rigging it indulged in during the 2013 general elections,” said PTI supporter Mohammad Faizan.

Demonstrators experience cognitive dissonance as protesting parties and govt trade allegations over army’s involvement

Sadiqabad-resident Mohammad Azhar told Dawn the party reposed complete confidence in Chief of Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif. “Now, the ruling party will not be able to save their skins, the army will ensure a transparent and fair investigation into rigging allegations,” he said.

However, the next morning’s events inside and outside parliament confused them. Several people in both the PTI and PAT camps were puzzled about what to believe: the prime minister’s speech in the floor of the assembly or Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri’s vehement denials.

Hassan Ali Shahbaz, a PTI supporter from Gujrat, told Dawn that he had been receiving phone calls all day from anxious people back home, asking him what the actual situation was.

“They were asking me to confirm whether Imran Khan had asked the army chief to meet or was it Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who requested army intervention,” he said.

“The impression that both Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri called up the army chief for a meeting at the same time doesn’t make sense to me. The prime minister has changed his statements so many times in the past that it is hard to tell when one should believe him,” he said.

Another PTI supporter from Lahore, Mohammad Raza, said it indeed was a strange turn of events that leaders were now lying to the people through their teeth.

“It is hard to believe that the prime minister and the interior minister lied on floor of the parliament. But equally difficult to accept is the fact that Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri may not have been completely honest. I don’t think that is possible,” he said.

PAT workers also experienced a similar kind of cognitive dissonance.

Haripur-resident Muzaffar Khan told Dawn he had faith in his leader and that Dr Tahirul Qadri always spoke the truth. “God will prove that Nawaz Sharif was wrong,” he said.

“We will not move from here until the FIR of the Model Town murders is registered according to our party’s wishes and the Sharif brothers resign,” he said.

Zubair Khan, another PAT supporter, said that he could not fathom why Nawaz Sharif was refusing to own up to the fact that he had petitioned the army chief to play a role in defusing the crisis.

“There is nothing wrong in accepting it. We all know that he (Nawaz Sharif) cannot be trusted. I have faith in Dr Qadri and I will continue to support him,” he said.

But by Friday evening, many fears were allayed as the army’s media wing came out with a statement stating that the government asked it to mediate.

“No doubt we are tired. Sitting on the roads is not easy. But after the army’s announcement, we have received a second wind,” said PAT worker Arshad Ali, who had come to the capital from Faisalabad to witness the revolution firsthand.

Another PAT activist, Rashid Mahmood, said that Dr Qadri had said he had shared the party’s demands with army chief. “Let see what happens in the next few days,” he said.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2014