- The ruling party fails to meet the challenge
With Imran Khan in China, PTI government remains undecided over how to deal with the TLP’s protests. The prime minister had given the extremist network a strong warning. Unsure of the consequences of dealing with an iron hand, the party leaders are whiling away time by holding talks with the clerics. The talks were considered by the extremist clerics a sign of the government’s weakness. Instead of calling off the protests they ratcheted up the pressure by announcing a countrywide strike on Friday adding further to the people’s suffering.
The protests have brought Karachi, the industrial hub of the country, to a standstill. The country’s imports and exports stand choked. Schools, colleges and major shopping centers remain closed in major cities all over the country. The intercity blockades including the picketing on the cities’ entry-cum-exit points have taken the toll of industry. The greatest sufferer in Punjab and Karachi are the industrial units which have ground to a halt in the absence of the raw material and inability to deliver their output to distant locations. The construction industry faces big losses as trucks carrying cement, bricks and structural steel items stand idle on blocked roads. The business in perishable goods like vegetables and fruits too has suffered big losses. With intercity roads blocked, Lahore faces petrol shortage with queues on petrol stations becoming longer
Despite the travails facing the national economy and the difficulties faced by the common man, a complacent information minister maintains that the situation is under control!
The opposition had offered to support the government in resolving the crisis created by the TLP while the government had agreed to take the opposition on board. It was promised by the ruling party that the National Assembly session will continue uninterrupted. Then suddenly the government changed its mind. On Friday, there were fewer government MNAs when proceedings began in the NA. A ruling coalition MNA pointed out the lack of quorum, which is unusual for a treasury member, and the Deputy Speaker adjourned the proceeding till the arrival of the PM on Monday. The PTI waits for the messiah.
