Peaceful protesters for change?

Imran Khan has once again said that police opened teargas shelling on peaceful protesters who wanted to use their democratic right to protest against the government in front of Prime Minister House on August 31, 2014.

PTI Chairman further said that he will not spare Sharif brothers and Gullu Butt Nisar for attacking the unarmed protesters. He questioned the government under what law they are being stopped to go to Prime Minister House adding it is their right.

Imran Khan also gave example of protests allowed outside White House and UK Prime Minister’s residence 10 Downing street.

One important factor is forgotten in this whole argument of democratic right to protest. One need to follow certain rules to stage protest outside White House or 10 Downing street such as protesters must obtain permission for any protest with all the details such as time, number of participants etc. Participants are not allowed to bring sticks, slingshots, axes, hammers etc with them.

There is a subtle difference between protesting legally and breaking the law. When protesters bring cranes with them to remove all the hurdles in their ways put in place to tell them please do not move beyond this point forward, they are no longer peaceful.

A large number of protesters had sticks with them not to wave the party flags or placards, but to use them as weapon against law enforcing agencies such as police. None of democratic country allow that not even United States or UK.

If Imran Khan has doubt that they can do the same in UK, please try to replicate the exact same peaceful march in front of 10 Downing street.

The whole world was watching when first police defense line allowed the protesters to pass through. However, as soon as protesters started to remove containers using the crane they brought with them to enter the President House, police started firing teargas shells.

Imran Khan and Dr Tahirul Qadri had told their supporters police is with them and will not stop them even if they removed blockades. Dr Tahirul Qadri even tried to bribe the police with a promise of giving them increase in their salaries from the last two years and asked them to use their batons on the heads of rulers.

Dr Tahirul Qadri still claims that his workers were peaceful and had no sticks, axes, hammers or slingshot with them after the whole world has seen them using all those with their eyes through television screens.  The whole nation saw the workers breaking the fence outside the Parliament House with cutters and still they are innocent peaceful workers.

Imran Khan has to understand asking Prime Minister to resign is his democratic right, however, the course of action he has chosen is not right. Having good representation in the Parliament, he could have achieved much more for a fair and free elections in the country and bring a positive change he had promised. Now it is all going towards anarchy.

Imran Khan also gives example of Tahrir Square in Egypt, however, he forgets that over four thousands people gave their lives and just after one year Army chief became the elected president of Egypt. The country is no longer the same country now, every day there is explosion killing innocent civilians. Is this is what he wants to achieve for Pakistan as well?

It is still time for Imran Khan to sit with his colleagues and learn from his mistakes to play a constructive and positive role in the lives of peoples of Pakistan.  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has said today that he will resign and dissolve the assembly if rigging is proved in provincial elections. Why cannot be the same rule applied to the federal government? If rigging is proved, Nawaz Sharif must resign and call new elections.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=48120

Posted by Shakira Subhani on Aug 31 2014. Filed under Latest News, Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.