Who calls the army for a few thousand people exercising their political and democratic rights, saying it was an attempt to pit the public against the forces.
Insiders revealed that powerful circles were on board and pushed both sides to make certain decisions, including PTI’s entry into the capital and end of the rally instead of going for a sit-in. They added that everyone, including the powerful circles, needed face-saving and it was not just about political parties.
With the government-PTI face-off, they said, the pressure was built and clear messages were conveyed to the powerful stakeholders — that they could not act as spectators for long, knowing full well the responsibilities they shouldered under the situation.
“In terms of understanding, all the political parties have the same feelings about the past role of institutions,” a source privy to the development told The Express Tribune. The source said the secrets of the powerful circles could be brought into the open as well.
“Secrets can be revealed and they don’t want that.” The powerful circles were allegedly involved in the change of government, he said, saying they also needed face-saving and wanted to ensure that “sanity prevailed”.
About the date of the general elections, the source said, there were strong chances that they could take place in October this year – just a month before the army chief retired. Keeping October in view, the insiders and political observers believe that the government will continue till August and will not only present the budget but will have a chance to reverse legislation pertaining to electoral reforms, the National Accountability Bureau, etc. – a process that has already begun.
Another PTI leader said there were no preparations for making people stay for a longer period, adding the fear factor of a mass gathering made the government nervous and helped the PTI in changing its objective from staging a sit-in to staging only a power show.
Also, he said, Imran called off the rally as he sensed that there could be a confrontation between people and the law enforcers, especially the army. He questioned who calls the army for a few thousand people exercising their political and democratic rights, saying it was an attempt to pit the public against the forces.
