Global Watch | Street Power Vs State Power: PTI’s High-Stakes Gamble In Islamabad

Imran Khan’s unyielding stance and the military’s threat perception have landed him in jail on charges that remain deeply contested and highly debatable

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Political instability seems to have become the destiny of Pakistan. September 27 is a new day being negotiated. Will the day turn Islamabad into a site of waves of people raising Imran Khan’s portraits to demand his freedom and clashing with security personnel? Or will the government be able to muffle the protest and prevent any drama on that day?

The call for a long march to Islamabad was given by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in support of its chairman and former prime minister. Imran Khan completed three years in jail on August 5 on what many see as concocted charges, raising serious questions about the country’s judiciary. The PTI observed the anniversary as a black day. The party subsequently announced on August 6 that “the decision to hold a long march towards Islamabad on September 27 was made through mutual consultation between the party and its allies" to build pressure on the rulers to free Khan and his wife.

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As the date inched closer, tension rose. Some efforts were made to reach out, but to no avail. While the PTI is bent on making a point, the government—with the support of the military—is keen to avoid yet another disruption that could divert its focus from the economy and its efforts to overhaul the country’s image internationally.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, the “Rawalpindi’s man" in Shehbaz Sharif’s cabinet, even threatened that if the PTI protestors were to head towards Islamabad, they would “be taken care of". Warning that the country can no........

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