The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership should accept the reality that they are no longer popular among the masses and not strong enough to stage country-wide protest demonstrations, as they have badly failed to build a narrative of alleged rigging in recent by-polls.
While speaking at a program on Naya Daur TV, senior analyst Muzamal Suharwardy said that not a single PTI leader is willing to lead protest demonstrations in Punjab. Similarly, no one except Sher Afzal Marwat is available to lead protests in Karachi, he added.
The analyst said that the PTI can only hold protest demonstrations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), where they have their own provincial government.
While responding to a question regarding the removal of the names of PTI leaders involved in the May 9 riots from the Exit Control List (ECL), Suharwardy said that although their names have been removed from the ECL, all of these PTI leaders cannot even reach airports because they are all offenders in multiple cases.
It is pertinent to mention here that the names of Shah Mehmood Qureshi and former first lady Bushra Bibi are still in ECL.
To another question, the analyst said that property tycoon Malik Riaz will not visit Pakistan until the retirement of Army Chief General Asim Munir.
He further said that former army chief General (retired) Qamar Javed Bajwa has sworn to the Holy Quran and refuted former prime minister Imran Khan's allegations. The analyst said that since General (retired) Bajwa swore on the Holy Quran that he was not involved in any conspiracy to oust then-PM Imran Khan, it indicates that Lt Gen Asif Ghafoor and Lt Gen (retired) Faiz Hameed approached then-PM Khan on their own, seeking an extension for Gen (r) Bajwa. The former army chief should have refused to take any extension at that time, he added.
Suharwardy said that the country’s system cannot run without the role of the army chief. “If Pakistan becomes weak in economy and diplomacy during the government of PTI founder Imran Khan, then Gen. Bajwa is equally responsible for that.
While responding to another question, the analyst said that the PTI alleged that the PML-N has formed its government due to support and assistance from the United States, but their narrative has been fully destroyed after the official visit of the Iranian president.