THIS is with reference to your editorial ‘A skipper skipped’ (Jan 17). While giving an account of a much-publicised sit-in of Dr Tahirul Qadri in Islamabad, you seem to have wittingly criticised the role of Imran Khan, stating that Dr Qadri outsmarted the skipper by giving a call for a successful long march. After having read your editorial there is a need to see again the whole scenario of the long march in a nonchalant manner.

No one can deny the fact that well before the start of Dr Qadri’s long march and during all the while of his sit-in in the capital, not a single political party of Pakistan threw its support behind Dr Qadri.

Instead, they all raised very valid questions about the ‘motive’ and ‘sponsors’ of this long march. Likewise, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf, led by Imran Khan, denounced the action of Dr Qadri as ill-timed and undemocratic. Mr Khan stated in no uncertain terms that when the elections were just a couple of months away, it was not wise to resort to violent means for any political change in the country.

He emphasised the point that the key to change in the country was not grabbing power through violence, but it was by means of free, fair, and timely elections. In his opinion, the PPP would benefit the most from any undemocratic move at this point of time. So, the skipper was not slow in reading the googly from Dr Qadri. In fact, he read it right and, well, left it. He had rightly concluded that the interests of democracy and the interests of Pakistan exist side by side.

RAFAT MAHMOOD ANSARI Islamabad