Tuesday, August 19, 2014

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....
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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?
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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.

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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".
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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.
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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. 
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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.
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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. 
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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. 
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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. 
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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.
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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
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regards

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