Former information minister Fawad Chaudhry has claimed that the government would make the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s protest successful allegedly by arresting PTI workers, blocking streets, and placing containers in the federal capital.
“The government will bring shipping containers before on November 21 and 22 and arrest PTI supporters,” he said while appearing on Rubaroo which was aired on Aaj News on Friday.
Incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan has urged his followers to march towards Islamabad on November 24 for the “restoration” of democracy and the judiciary.
Although the government has not responded to how it would deal with it, it criticised the former PM for inciting people in the country.
“Protest will be successful before November 24,” Chaudhry said and claimed that political instability would further increase after the protest. He was of the view that the government should have spoken to Khan as the latter’s demands were not “wrong”.
When asked, he claimed that the PTI could not manage its “revolution” while the government and the establishment could not control Khan.
Former senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, who joined the show via video link, said that the “final” word should not be used in politics as such words are impractical in politics. He claimed that there was a “crisis and lack of trust” within the PTI.
“I don’t think it would be meaningful to use the final word when your supporter has been let down by party leaders in the past,” he said and wondered what would happen if the protest is not successful.
Chaudhry, who was once close to Khan, claimed that PTI was not a party anymore. “It is only about Khan and his supporters.” According to him, PTI’s problem was that it did not mobilise people and the opposition to form an alliance.
He warned that politicians would be out of the space if the government would use force.
Khokhar agreed with his fellow politician on the former ruling party’s “inability” to form an alliance. He called for a political settlement to cool down the “rising political temperature.”
When asked, both politicians were of the view that the PTI’s apparent failure to make an alliance was because other parties were sceptical of its protest and any plan to achieve targets.
Chaudhry claimed that even if the November 24 protest failed, it would not affect Khan. “Political instability will get worse and the country’s position is in doldrums.”
They called for ending “politically motivated cases” and halting PTI supporters’ arrests to end tensions.
Chaudhry went on to add that the country needed a “national government” led by a person nominated by Khan, Nawaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari, and the establishment.
But Khokhar disagreed with this suggestion, saying that stability was mentioned in the Constitution in the words of election and people’s vote. “The establishment role has to be minimised as you cannot control the youth.”
