The public outrage and slogans of “Go Imran Go” during the visit to Army Public School should be a wakeup call for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, Pakistan Today Editor Arif Nizami said on Wednesday.
Speaking in Channel 24’s DNA talk show, Mr Nizami said that the PTI chief raised the “Go Nawaz Go” slogan to embarrass PML-N leaders but now he was facing a similar situation.
“Many people are offended by Imran Khan’s recent actions such as announcement of his second marriage at a time when the nation is reeling from the massacre of schoolchildren in Peshawar. Moreover, the PTI chief’s dithering over the subject of military courts has also raised eyebrows,” said Mr Nizami, adding that previously it was thought that Imran Khan had the support of the military establishment but the protest outside APS Peshawar on Wednesday shows that his influential supporters were also not happy with him.
“The APS Peshawar is located in the most sensitive area of Peshawar and gathering of such a large number of protesters outside the school during Imran Khan’s visit is a manifestation of the growing discontentment against the PTI chief’s policies,” he said.
Mr Nizami said that as the Senate elections were approaching in March, the PTI needs to reconsider its stance on returning to the National Assembly.
“If Imran Khan digs in heels over the rigging issue and loses the chance to get seats in the Senate, it would cause resentment in his party ranks and won’t bode well for the party,” he said, adding that Imran Khan needs to work on the timing of his decisions as his recent moves were ill-timed.