ON the eve of the PTI’s ‘do or die’ protest in the federal capital, there seemed to be little evidence of the kind of mass mobilisation the party’s incarcerated founder may have been dreaming of. The usual enthusiasm demonstrated by the party’s cadres seemed missing on social media, and it seemed as if its leaders were putting up a brave face on national television while anticipating an underwhelming turnout. Yet, by the state’s preparations for Nov 24, one could have easily been led to believe it was the end of the line. In its panic, six key motorways — thousands of kilometres of roads connecting important parts of the country to some of its largest urban centres — were shut down; public gatherings were banned, and security personnel deployed in full force. A crackdown on opposition political leaders and workers was once again underway, and Section 144, previously announced for Islamabad, had been expanded all over Punjab. The administrations of Islamabad and Punjab seemed keen to demonstrate their awesome might and terrifying power, but it was slightly bewildering that this was being done for a protest which there was little obvious reason to treat as a serious threat.

It must be asked why our authorities lack confidence in their ability to maintain law and order. What made them think it was a good idea to shut down a large portion of the country for a protest that would have otherwise been limited to a few areas in Islamabad? It made no sense that hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people who had nothing to do with the PTI’s political plans were also ‘preventively inconvenienced’ by the lockdown measures. The parties ruling today not too long ago held similar marches to Islamabad, each time vowing to topple the government. One does not recall there being such a fuss then as we see now, simply because, at the end of the day, protests and marches rarely accomplish much beyond allowing angry citizens to vent their frustrations. Letting them do so in a controlled environment and then eventually disperse would seem to be the rational way of dealing with such protests, rather than responding in a manner that the means adopted to control the protest start looking like a bigger nuisance than the protest itself. A little restraint is in order.

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2024