Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Sunday made a dramatic appearance at the provincial assembly after having been “missing” for over 24 hours, suggesting he had made his way to Peshawar on foot after evading arrest in Islamabad.
In his speech, he refused to offer any further explanations for his radio silence, attracting the ire of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters who had spent the weekend suffering tear-gas shelling and arrests in the pursuit of “real freedom” and the release of incarcerated party founder Imran Khan.
According to latest reports, over 1,000 PTI supporters were taken into custody for violating Section 144 and attempting to stage a sit-in at the high-security D-Chowk in Islamabad. This does not include the thousands who reportedly accompanied Gandapur’s convoy to Islamabad, facing near-continuous tear-gas shelling for over 24 hours, as they inched their way toward the capital. Rather than utilizing this passion and fervor for positive change, the PTI’s actions suggest they are considered little more than pawns, to be used and discarded for the sake of political expediency as and when deemed necessary.
Rather than leading from the front, the PTI leadership abandoned the workers to their own devices. The vast majority of the leadership “supported” the protests with pre-recorded messages posted to social media accounts, making clear they preferred the comfort of their own homes, even as they expected their supporters to “sacrifice” for the party’s cause. This is not how political movements thrive, much less succeed.
Elements within the PTI are currently trying to save face by spreading reports of a “deal” between Khan and the establishment that facilitated Gandapur’s exit in exchange for a deferring of the proposed constitutional amendment for which the government still lacks sufficient numbers in Parliament. Whether true or false, such reports are a slap on the face of PTI workers, who have repeatedly been promised by their party that their future would not be decided “behind closed doors,” but rather in full view of the public. For many of Pakistan’s youth, the PTI has represented a shift away from Pakistan’s traditional politics, where backroom deals have determined the fate of movements and protests. Any so-called deal merely retrenches this view, making clear the PTI is no different from its political rivals and would be best served by resolving its issues through dialogue rather than street agitation where it uses its supporters like human shields with no regard for their welfare.