Note of protest
Govt need to consider what it can do to calm the situation, as opposition parties are planning more protests in future
PTI chairman Imran Khan addresses a gathering in Faisalabad on May 25, 2014. PHOTO: ONLINE
The mood in the country, as the PML-N-led National Assembly nears its first year in existence, is generally not a happy one. Across the country, there have been a series of protests by opposition parties. The issues they have taken up are different, but the same note of discontent and displeasure comes in from everywhere. This surely should be something for the government to think about and consider. As Shakespeare put it, things do not seem to be very well in the state of Denmark, or to put it in our particular context, Pakistan.
In Faisalabad, Imran Khan and his PTI have continued the crusade against poll rigging, with Imran, addressing a large rally demanding of the prime minister, the former chief justice of Pakistan and the editor-in-chief of a prominent newspaper group be tried for the rigging of the May 11, 2013 election. Mr Khan, who had begun his campaign on this on May 11, also spoke out against misgovernance, and the luxurious lifestyle of the Sharifs. A somewhat similar note was struck by the chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Sirajul Haq, who demanded a Rs1 billion package for Karachi while addressing supporters in the city, while also lamenting the poor state of governance and the manner in which affairs critical to the welfare of people were being run. The MQM, of course, continues to direct its primary focus on the situation being faced by its leader, Altaf Hussain, as his bank accounts in the UK are frozen, while we have also seen protests from other groups against inflation, power cuts and other issues.
The complaints being made cannot simply be ignored. To do so would be foolish. They are coming in fast and hard, providing evidence of how people feel in the country. Inevitably these voices act to weaken the government. It will need to consider what it can do to make the scene a happier one. More protests, right now, are planned for the future. No one wants instability or turbulence. To calm it, discontent needs to be tackled and policies for this put in place now.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 27th, 2014.
In Faisalabad, Imran Khan and his PTI have continued the crusade against poll rigging, with Imran, addressing a large rally demanding of the prime minister, the former chief justice of Pakistan and the editor-in-chief of a prominent newspaper group be tried for the rigging of the May 11, 2013 election. Mr Khan, who had begun his campaign on this on May 11, also spoke out against misgovernance, and the luxurious lifestyle of the Sharifs. A somewhat similar note was struck by the chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Sirajul Haq, who demanded a Rs1 billion package for Karachi while addressing supporters in the city, while also lamenting the poor state of governance and the manner in which affairs critical to the welfare of people were being run. The MQM, of course, continues to direct its primary focus on the situation being faced by its leader, Altaf Hussain, as his bank accounts in the UK are frozen, while we have also seen protests from other groups against inflation, power cuts and other issues.
The complaints being made cannot simply be ignored. To do so would be foolish. They are coming in fast and hard, providing evidence of how people feel in the country. Inevitably these voices act to weaken the government. It will need to consider what it can do to make the scene a happier one. More protests, right now, are planned for the future. No one wants instability or turbulence. To calm it, discontent needs to be tackled and policies for this put in place now.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 27th, 2014.