Storming the Red Zone…with human shields?

…..Imran
Khan’s terrible hunger for power is a frightening thing to see…his refusal to accept that system
can only be improved, not torn down……More than
convincing people of Nawaz Sharif being unfit to be Prime Minister, Imran has
made a more solid case for why he should never, ever be awarded that mantle….

….
We are outsiders…and this comment will probably give offense: Captain Sahib has gone completely bonkers. We agree with The Nation (Pakistan) editorial that Imran Khan should declare victory and go home.

It is bad enough that IK wears the mask of civil disobedience by urging his supporters to not pay taxes. Presently, just about 0.9% of Pakistan pays tax (he should know of this). How is such a step somehow enlightened?

But to encourage women and children to march to the Red Zone against the full might of the military…is insane. Add to this the crazy ultimatums. Nawaz Sharif has been asked to resign by Wednesday (Aug 20). What happens if he does not?
….

12:55am DawnNews reported sources as having said that the Pakistan Army has taken charge of the Interior Ministry’s control room. Former
Punjab law minister Rana Sanaullah however has rejected the reports,
saying that the Interior Ministry is still in charge of the control
room.



12:53am Amir Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Sirajul Haq, while speaking to
DawNews said that both sides need to take a step back and resolve the
issues between them. He said that if the confrontation continues then it will be “Game over” for both sides.



12:33am ISPR spokesperson Asim Bajwa tweets: “Bldgs in red Zone r
symbol of State & being protected by Army, therefore sanctity of
these national symbols must be respected.
Situation requires
patience, wisdom & sagacity from all stakeholders to resolve
prevailing impasse through meaningful dialogue in larger national and
public interest.”



12:24am PTI chief Imran Khan said that he has given Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif till Wednesday evening to resign. “If Nawaz Sharif does not resign then we will enter into the PM House,” said the PTI chief.



12:14am “United States is keeping a close eye on political developments in Pakistan,” says State Department. “We
appeal to the PTI and PAT to pursue a non-violent approach
to resolve
the issue…Pakistani political parties should work out their
differences through dialogue,” the US State Department said.

……………………………………….
The Pakistan Tehreek-I-Insaf (PTI) has devised a dangerous strategy to march into the Red Zone and Constitutional Avenue.

PTI sources have said that women and children will be included in the march towards areas guarded by riot police, paramilitary forces, containers and barbed wire.

K-P
Minister Shaukat Yousafzai confirmed that women and children would
march in the second row, right behind key PTI legislators and Imran
Khan. The PTI Youth Wing would follow behind the women. When questioned
about the inclusion of women and children, Yousafzai said the march
would be peaceful, and the women and children were being placed in the
centre for their safety.

Abdul Qadir Baloch has termed the PTI’s
plan “inhuman”. He alleged that the PTI leadership was using the
children and women as a human shield. Speaking to media in front
of Parliament House, Baloch said including women and children in a
march – where violent clashes are expected – was unacceptable.

A PTI legislator on condition of anonymity said party members were clueless as to the logic behind Imran’s decisions. “He [Imran] is on his own. He doesn’t listen to anyone and party leaders are really annoyed, but they don’t know what to do”.
……

The numbers are dwindling, Imran’s buzz is wearing off, and really the
party at Serena Chowk has just been going on tediously long now. While
Tahir Ul Qadri restricts himself to speeches which magically change
meaning in translation, Imran can’t seem to make up his mind about what
he wants, or how to get it. Swinging from demanding an immediate
resignation, to one in seven days, then three days, until he finally
settled on two days, Imran Khan is trying even his followers’ patience.
Enough.
….

His latest call to civil disobedience is desperate, bordering
on manic. Having vastly overestimated his hand, perhaps Imran is hoping
to claw back some dignity in presenting the status quo as his great
victory. Incitement to sedition doesn’t really work in a country where
the state is already struggling to display it’s authority. 

….
A tiny sliver
of the population are taxpayers, and there’s nothing anyone seems to be
able to do about it. Will Imran be claiming this as his great miracle
in two days? Does he even know what date utility bills arrive? Does he
really think two days of people who don’t pay taxes, continuing to not
pay taxes is going to bring about any change at all? Enough.

……

Imran
Khan’s terrible hunger for power is a frightening thing to see. It is
troubling to see his refusal to accept that no matter how bad a system
is, that system can only be improved, not torn down like a pair of old
curtains. 

….
More than convincing people of Nawaz Sharif being unfit to be
Prime Minister, Imran has made a more solid case for why he should
never, ever be awarded that mantle. Planting misleading expectations,
leading people to violence, suffering from delusions of grandeur, Imran Khan’s behaviour is now simply embarrassing. 

………
He is doing the
government’s job for them: convincing the millions watching on TV that
they were wise to stay home. The PMLN are having a chuckle at the PTI’s
expense. And the opposition is shaking their head at the corpse of a
long march that Imran Khan is trying to whip life back into. 

….
A man
should know when he is beaten. Imran has not achieved what he came for,
nor will he. Any further adventures in Serena Chowk will further
undermine his already pitiful credibility, and are best avoided. The
sincerest advice anyone can give the PTI chief is: go home. Enough.

…….

Link (1): dangerous-game-pti-to-march-into-red-zone-with-women-children

Link (2): islamabad-march-imran-threatens-to-storm-pm-house-unless-nawaz-steps-down

Link (3): http://www.nation.com.pk/editorials/18-Aug-2014/go-home-imran
……

regards

Brown Pundits