PTI's Jail Bharo Tehreek: A Political Stunt By Imran Khan To Pressurize National Institutions

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Feb, 2023 ) :Whether the call for Jail Bharo Movement would yield the results for the PTI in the by-polls or not but it would likely create political and economic uncertainty which is compounded by the menace of terrorism in the country.

Following the uncalled-for decision of Imran Khan regarding the premature dissolution of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assemblies, political observers said that the announcement of the Jail Bharo Movement was a mere political stunt as the PTI is apparently left with nothing to convince its political workers who were unnerved by Imran's decision to dissolve the assemblies.

"PTI leadership decision of the Jail Bharo Movement was an attempt to please their dissident workers and leaders, who were unhappy with Imran Khan's decision of dissolution of Punjab Assembly in general and KP assembly in particular without taking them into confidence," said Ikhtiar Wali Khan, Pakistan Muslim League-N KP spokesman and former MPA while talking to APP here on Wednesday.

He said the Imran Khan government was responsible for the economic quagmire in the country after he backtracked from the agreement made with the IMF, adding the present government has successfully negotiated to revive the suspended IMF agreement to take the country out of the prevailing economic crisis.

Ikhtiar Wali said Imran Khan had laid various economic traps for the present government after knowing that his days were numbered before his constitutional removal through a successful no-confidence motion by the national assembly.

"The PTI Chief is apparently unnerved after the coalition government's successful negotiations with the IMF team and adaptation of the Finance Supplementary Bill 2023 by the national assembly," he said.

He said Imran was facing various corruption charges including Tosha Khana and PTI foreign funding cases and was trying to exert pressure on national institutions to avoid his possible arrest.

"Where was Imran when the constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights of the PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz were being violated during his government after they were put in jails in sizzling temperatures and Imran Khan had also threatened to remove air conditioners from their rooms in jails," he said.

He claimed that unproved cases were filed against opposition leadership including PMLN stalwarts during Imran Khan's government and institutions were allegedly used to victimize PML-N leadership.

A.H. Hilali, former Chairman Political Science Department, University of Peshawar said that Jail Bharo Movement was launched in the past to build pressure on the government but except for the movements against dictatorship, no such movements bore concrete results rather aggravated the political and economic uncertainty in the country.

He recalled that in 1981 and 1986, various political parties under the platform of the Movement for Restoration of Democracy (MRD) had staged one such movement against President Ziaul Haq's regime that failed to achieve its main objectives but managed to provide support for democracy.

Similarly, Dr Hilali said one such movement was also launched by Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) led by its late President Qazi Hussain Ahmed against the Shaukat Aziz government in 2004 that failed to draw people's support.

"The Jails Bharo Movement launched by the mainstream political parties and lawyers against the emergency imposed by former President Pervez Musharraf had achieved its objectives in the form of restoration of sacked judges, end of house arrest of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto Shaheed, the release of detained political workers and later tendering of the resignation by the dictator." "In the wake of the recent wave of terrorism in the country especially deadly attacks on police in KP and recently in Karachi, the threat of more such attacks could not be ruled out and any loss of lives during uncalled for Jail Bharo movement would be the responsibility of the PTI leadership," said Wajid Ali Khan, a former provincial minister and Awami National Party (ANP) leader while talking to APP.

He said that Rs 417 billion were provided to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since 2010 under the NFC award including the period of 10 years of PTI. He questioned why standard things like a safe city project, forensics, and DNA labs were not established and why the counter-terrorism department was not fully equipped in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

"On one hand PTI had prematurely dissolved its own assemblies in KP and Punjab and on the other was demanding early election and was contesting the by-election for National Assembly's seats, which was beyond my understanding," he said. He said that the billion trees project has been taken over by the NAB, which exposed PTI rulers' corruption claims.

The ANP leader said wrangling among religious and political parties would serve no purpose but rather weaken democratic institutions and would create political chaos. He said political cohesion and unity were imperative to wipe out terrorism besides putting the country on the path of economic development and carrying the ship of democracy to safer shores.