Twenty days after the sit-ins of Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) started in Islamabad, the number of participants of the sit-ins has decreased significantly, Pakistan Today has observed. Observers believe that the sit-ins are breathing their last as far as their numbers are concerned.
When the ‘Azadi’ and ‘Inqilab’ marches led by PTI Chairman Imran Khan and PAT Chairman Dr Tahirul Qadri reached Islamabad, both had a participation of around 25,000 and 15,000 respectively.
Over the course of 20 days, the participation in PTI’s part-time sit-in fluctuated between 10,000 to 50,000 people but the numbers in PAT’s full-time sit-in remained steady at around 25,000 until the night of August 30 when both PTI and PAT tried to march forward from Constitution Avenue to Prime Minister (PM) House.
After police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the protestors who tried to enter a state building, a large number of PTI and PAT supporters deserted the procession and only die-hard followers of Qadri and a few hundred supporters of Khan remained on Constitution Avenue.
On Tuesday night, there were around 2,000 PTI supporters who gathered to listen to Khan’s speech, while the number of PAT supporters was around 5,000 to 6,000 who were scattered in small groups in the lawns of Parliament House, Constitution Avenue and on the gate of PM House, Pakistan Today observed.
Most observers agree that though Qadri’s remaining supporters are still charged, their number has dwindled, against expectations to the contrary. As for PTI supporters, the numbers has been declining steadily since the night of August 30.