Former prime minister and chairman of Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) appears to be taking the stock of situation following his flopped protest march. One of the principal reasons behind his failure to mobilise the required number of people to move towards Islamabad on April 25 in response to his ‘Azadi march’ call was utter confusion and uncertainty the resignation of Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar and removal of governor Chaudhary Mohammed Sarwar had created across the province where people chose to act rather prudently instead of obligingly.

They, therefore, preferred to remain indoors to avoid and avert a slew of repressive tactics that the government had employed through traditionally notorious Punjab police that day. His too pro-KPK government approach to national politics has already alienated a large number of his loyalists in various parts of Punjab.

Many of loyalists in the largest province, a province that produces the largest number of military personnel and civil bureaucrats, plausibly argue that the party chairman, a Punjabi from northern but relatively backward part of the province, has himself relegated to a lower position, although it was Punjab that catapulted him to power in 2018. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto too owed his success to Punjab.

And he had always admitted this fact. That massive support of Punjab is critical to the success of IK’s next political move is a fact. The question, however, remains how and when he’s able to garner that much-needed support in order to pursue his political agenda in a confident manner.

Riaz Dhillon (Lahore)

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022