Feb 8 protest call falls flat in Punjab

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) call for a countrywide wheel-jam and shutter-down strike on Sunday produced mixed results across provinces, with the Tehreek-e-Tahafuz Aein-e-Pakistan (TTAP) conceding that Punjab ranked last in achieving the desired outcome. The opposition alliance TTAP had earlier, in January, announced transport blockades, and commercial shutdowns across Pakistan to protest alleged large-scale rigging in the general elections. However, while parts of Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh—according to TTAP and PTI's own accounts—reported significant disruption, Punjab's response was negligible. Lahore, the epicentre of the country's politics, remained busy celebrating Basant throughout the day, while elsewhere in Punjab people enjoyed an extended weekend due to Kashmir Day and two Basant holidays falling back-to-back, followed by Sunday. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also mocked PTI and TTAP in a social media post over their failure to mobilise protests. Without naming any political party, she wrote: "Zero protest, zero shutter-down". Activities shared with the media in Punjab, including walks by a dozen people holding lights, reflected the party's inability to organise any significant protest across the province. TTAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai, instead of addressing any TTAP-organised event on a day when the alliance had vowed country wide protest, attended the late Asma Jahangir's conference. TTAP spokesperson Akhundzada Hussain described Balochistan as an "overwhelming success," claiming that major arteries were blocked and businesses shut across several districts. In K-P, party strongholds organised district-wise rallies in addition to wheel-jams and shutter-downs, according to party officials. Sindh also witnessed notable disruption. A TTAP leader said many towns observed a near-complete shutdown, including Larkana—the traditional stronghold of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)—where markets reportedly remained closed for much of the day. In Punjab, however, Akhundzada acknowledged that the least activity was witnessed. He attributed the limited success to what he termed the provincial government's "high-handedness" and "ironclad control" over political space, alleging that strict policing, pre-emptive restrictions, and pressure on traders prevented mobilisation on the desired scale. Asked whether this was the weakest show PTI had put up since the elections, Akhundzada said it was in line with the plan devised by TTAP. Responding to questions about Achakzai's absence from TTAP protests, he said the leader had committed to attend the conference well in advance. PTI's Punjab spokesperson MPA Brig (retd) Mushtaq said the primary thrust of the activity was voluntary participation. He added that torch-bearing marches were a last-minute inclusion in the plan. He said the kind of aggression usually associated with such activities was deliberately avoided.

from Punjab News Updates and Insights - The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/3JjPZwM