The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s signaling of a potential return to street protests suggests the party is unwilling to learn from the past.
Newly appointed PTI Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa President Junaid Akbar has indicated the party is considering another mass agitation movement after Imran Khan’s conviction in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust corruption case and the collapse of talks with the government. This reflects a return to form for the party, which has always appeared more comfortable on the roads than the negotiating table.
Since emerging as a major political party in the 2013 general elections, the PTI has persistently seen its popularity soar through mass protests. Its four years in government—from mid-2018 through early 2022—marked its worst years, with a 2021 Gallup Pakistan survey finding only 36% of Pakistanis held positive perceptions about its performance. It is no surprise that Imran Khan’s soaring popularity today is largely fueled by the protests he launched following his ouster in 2022.
Despite enjoying public support, PTI’s reliance on mass protests has resulted in limited policy gains. The extensive sit-ins and demonstrations of 2022 seeking to pressure the government into early elections disrupted urban centers but pushed the PTI into political isolation. They also alienated segments of the urban middle class awaiting concrete outcomes.
Nationwide protests against perceived judicial overreach in 2023, coupled with the fallout of the May 9 riots, similarly failed to advance the PTI’s aims. Defections from the party highlighted internal divisions, weakening its organizational cohesion and limiting its capacity to mount an effective challenge to the government. The financial and logistical burdens of sustained agitation have also taken their toll, underscoring the diminishing returns of street agitation as a political tool.
While a return to the streets will undoubtedly yield another boost to the party’s popularity, it is unlikely to prove any more productive in securing either Imran Khan’s release or a “reverse” of the results of the 2024 elections. What can help is finding more innovative and collaborative strategies, as seen in efforts to secure a multi-opposition alliance with the JUIF and rights activists. The party can also leverage institutional mechanisms by engaging in constructive dialogue and presenting policy alternatives that strengthen its democratic credentials.
A point of unity among all political forces is the need for a national focus on economic recovery and stability. Political unrest jeopardizes investment, disrupts markets, and erodes public confidence. The PTI’s ultimate victory lies in Parliament, not on the streets. Only by embracing methods fostering unity and economic growth can the party secure the relief it needs to not only help itself, but also help Pakistan regain the democratic fundamentals that it sorely needs to prosper.