Does anyone truly expect a miracle from PTI's march to Islamabad tomorrow? Would the government release jailed PTI leaders and announce fresh elections simply because the opposition has parked itself behind shipping containers? Even PTI's most optimistic supporters would not expect the government to fold.

So, what do they expect? That the government will concede demands like "restoration of an independent judiciary", "media freedom", or "Haqiqi Azadi"? Beyond signalling to the incarcerated Khan that his people were "trying", nothing more can come of such a show of strength. Has anyone seen even a wrinkle on PM Shehbaz Sharif's forehead? Meanwhile, the KPK Chief Minister struggles for his own position within the party amid confusion over rally dates, much like his predecessor endured the same charade.

As and when the march happens, the momentum will die down, as before. The protest will be choked, leaving PTI's core demand, Khan's release from Adiala Jail, unmet, yet again. Nothing will be new. And that is the point: nothing changes, because nothing was truly expected to. PTI has already agreed to negotiate and postpone the march if the dialogue yields a positive outcome, by which they mean permission to hold regular meetings with the incarcerated Khan. The government, meanwhile, sits comfortably under a secured umbrella, unmoved.

Pakistan's political history has been written on the streets as much as in the corridors of power. From East Bengal's language movement to the mass agitations that ended Ayub Khan's and Zulfikar Ali........

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