PTI’s long march

PTI's much anticipated long march to Islamabad is to begin in Lahore on Friday. Party leaders have been showing off their social media savviness as they attempt to build more support and encourage attendance, and it appears attendance will be high, if not record breaking. But despite substantial motivation among his core supporters and widespread backing as illustrated by his success in recent by-elections, Imran Khan may actually be scaring off some attendees by already drawing comparisons to the PTI’s previous dharnas lasting as long as several months.

Meanwhile, Khan is doubling down on his ‘greatest hits’, such as the discredited foreign conspiracy theory, attacking the election commission, claiming that the economy was doing well under his government, and feigning ignorance of the unprecedented assault on press freedom during his time in office, while also throwing in a few conspiracy theories that exploit the circumstances of the murder of journalist Arshad Sharif. He is also being accused of increasing polarisation by continuing to use violent imagery in his speeches, such as his insistence that the march is not politics but a “jihad” and “a war for independence”.

Yet he continues to use odd disclaimers to shirk respon- sibility if things go awry — most recently insisting, “We are not going to break the law or go into the Red Zone” and that the protest “will be according to what the courts have permitted” and protesters “will remain peaceful,” even though the PTI leadership failed to keep protesters from breaching the limitations imposed by the courts for the May ‘haqeeqi azadi’ protest as well. However, Khan did agree that people opposed to dharna politics have a legitimate gripe, as he acknowledged that protests may look irresponsible in light of the impact of the floods and human suffering across the country. But despite the rare reflective moment, even as he appeals to people to go to war for their democratic rights, Khan is open to using “backdoor channels” to call a snap election, or worse, as long as it ends with him returning to power.