IT seems like the appeal from Kot Lakhpat Jail has fallen on deaf ears. “[…] The time for negotiations has passed,” comes the missive from Adiala — a curt response to a recent letter from other jailed PTI stalwarts who had suggested a political settlement with the ruling parties. “Now, there will be no negotiations of any kind with anyone; there will be protests only on the streets so that the nation can get rid of the puppet rulers imposed by force,” party chief Imran Khan is reported to have said. The rest of the party is expected to fall in line. “I am issuing a clear message: whoever cannot shoulder the responsibility for this movement must separate themselves [from the party]. Whoever has kneeled before them should remember that, after some time, they will crush you and the people [too] will not forgive you [for failing to stand up].”

It is a rather combative stance to take for a leader who seems to be running out of options. But “This is not just about political revenge anymore — it’s about every citizen’s rights being stolen,” Barrister Gohar Khan, de jure chairman of the PTI, told the press after meeting the PTI chief in jail. It will certainly be difficult for the government to challenge the PTI chief’s motivations for announcing another protest movement. “The Constitution, the law and justice have all been buried after the 26th Amendment,” the former prime minister’s statement reads. “We have lost all faith in the courts’ ability to give us justice, and the people of Pakistan have no option but to launch a nationwide protest movement to escape this quicksand of lawlessness.” He is not the only one thinking and feeling this. But is public sympathy alone going to be enough to provide his planned protests enough momentum? It does not appear so.

The PTI certainly does not seem to have learnt from its past experiences. Once again, Mr Imran Khan has given in to the temptation of issuing an ultimatum. Aug 5, which will mark two years of his incarceration, will be the day the new protest movement should reach its peak, he has said. That gives the party not even a month to prepare, organise and trigger the “second Pakistan Movement” he hopes for. This expectation seems unrealistic considering how divided and dispersed the PTI appears to be at the moment. The party’s public support has not disappeared, but its organisational command centre remains cut off from the public, meaning mass mobilisation depends entirely on supporters’ personal initiatives. Without a strategy in place, it seems Mr Khan may be setting the PTI up for another damp squib, of which the party should have had enough of by now. Perhaps he should consider other options.

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2025