- PPP saves the situation
Presumably the PTI didn’t care to seek the permission of the district administration to hold the meeting on May 12 at the Hakim Saeed Ground in Gulshan-e-Iqbal while the PPP did so. This led to the ugly incidents on Monday when the workers from the two parties freely indulged in fisticuffs and a brick-batting match that caused injuries to a dozen and destroyed a number of motorbikes and cars. Technically the responsibility for the clash lies with the PTI which had tried to occupy the place by force. The party subsequently displayed no signs of contrition. It insisted instead on holding the meeting on the premises, permission or no permission and whatever the consequences .This was the height of brinkmanship.
The clash was altogether unnecessary. The best way was for the provincial leadership of the two parties to sit together and jointly agree on a schedule of public meetings and a code of conduct during the election campaign. In fact all the major political parties in Karachi, where peace has been established after a lot of sacrifice in human and financial terms should urgently sit down to devise ways and means to keep the elections peaceful. Unless this is done, Karachi might once again revert to lawlessness. What is more any major clash in the city could be used as an excuse to postpone the elections and once this happens it is anybody’s guess when the elections would finally be held.
Coming as it does after the attack on the interior minister, the PTI-PPP clash has led some to think that the ground is being prepared for the postponement of the elections. The PTI chief Imran Khan condemned the incident quipping d that the incident reflected PPP’s fear over PTI’s rising popularity. In a more gracious as well as politically sagacious move Bilwal Bhutto asked his party to find another location while he invited Imran Khan to hold his public meeting at Hakeem Saeed ground.
