KARACHI:
Since its inception, Pakistan has witnessed many long marches and protest movements usually led by political parties against their opponents. Over time, these marches have become somewhat voguish in nature and failed to achieve any efficacious results.
Unfortunately, the brunt of these marches is borne by the common man. Road closures restrict people to their homes disrupting daily routines. Educational institutes and workplaces are compelled to close. Students are missing out on their education and will struggle to catch up on the missed work in due time, which will impact their exam results. Vendors and retailers who rely on daily sales see a decline in activity, which harms their business and reduces their earnings. A sudden halt in all economic activity negatively affects the country’s economy and can have long-term consequences.
Time and again, we have seen the long marches turn violent and dangerous, which have led to the deaths of participants, news reporters, bystanders, and politicians themselves as well. All this indicates that long marches have more negative implications than positive ones. Thus, one cannot help but wonder who benefits from the long marches. Politicians must re-evaluate their long march strategy because it is the public who has to bear the consequences. They should avoid inflicting further hardships on the people.
Kinanah Usman
Sialkot
Published in The Express Tribune, November 11th, 2022.
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