No matter the political affiliation, one cannot deny the depressing implications of the events taking place in the country right now. It is only the second day of PTI’s long march to the capital; yet the affair has been replete with one party, the government, restricting the democratic right of peaceful protest, authorising excessive use of force, police raids without warrants, and political victimisation of party workers, and on the other hand, the marching party PTI, refusing to give even an inch, allegedly encouraging its workers to defy government orders and cross over barriers, and causing road-blocks across the country at a time of economic crisis.
It is even more despondent to consider that these events unfold at a time when the country is in the midst of an economic crisis, during soaring inflation and currency devaluation, as the IMF sits to deliberate the decision to give a bailout to Pakistan, without which experts have warned the Pakistani economy could spiral into a situation similar to Sri Lanka’s. At this time, when the country should be united, the two opposing political factions appear to be at loggerheads with each other, with both sides seemingly down to resort to violence.
The government, particularly the PML-N, is the most to blame and must shoulder most of the condemnation, simply because of its position in power. As it has the power of the state, it has the greater responsibility to keep the peace and not hinder the fundamental rights of any of the protestors. Any abuse of power by the government must be taken much more gravely as it sets devastating precedents for excessive force in the future. It is hoped that common sense prevails and both sides water down their tactics, but at the time of writing, the situation looks to be dangerously close to imploding at the slightest tremor.