Gearing up for August 5

After a long hiatus, the PTI has apparently decided to flex its muscles and kickstart a mass-contact campaign. Its decision to stage a public rally on August 5 at Liaquat Bagh, Rawalpindi, coincides with the third anniversary of former PM Imran Khan's incarceration. Thus, the party's 'Imran Khan Rehayi Aman Movement' is likely to create ripples in the country's otherwise opposition-less political canvas. The Catch-22, however, is whether the party will be given permission to rally or will once again be denied its due political space.

All of the PTI's previous requests to hold public meetings were denied, and the party has been struggling to make its presence felt. The party's own indecisiveness and fragmentation are also responsible for this mundane state of affairs, as it has not been able to assert itself as a proactive political entity on the floor of the House or within legal and political parameters.

The government would be well-advised to let the PTI go ahead with the rally. This will serve as an opportunity to not only allow the party to exercise its constitutional and democratic right to freedom of association, but also enable the government to engage the opposition for broad-based interaction in the future. The current policy of cracking down on dissent and pushing opposition voices to the wall is proving detrimental to national interests. The tendency to close down businesses, cordon off roads, place obstacles on public movement, and ban political activities has only furthered the sense of alienation.

Pakistan is at a critical juncture, and it cannot withstand the prevailing political instability. The PTI must also uphold its pledge to maintain peace and desist from rhetoric that is unbecoming of its stature as a responsible and large political party of the country. Granting the required NOC could prove to be the first baby step toward a return to the negotiating table, helping to realise a longstanding desire of both the opposition and the treasury.