Islamabad dharna
The whole country has heaved a sigh of relief that the 22-day long protest sit-in Islamabad has come to an end. The protest was organized by a religious political party, Tehreek Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah, in support of its demand for the resignation of law minister Zahid Hamid. As a result of the Islamabad sit-in and its aftermath, many lives were lost, over 300 injured, untold damage done to property across the country. After much delay, under a sixpoint agreement mediated by an army representative between the government and the protesters, the minister has tendered his resignation, and the Tehreek has given an assurance that it will not issue any kind of 'fatwa' against him.
In hindsight, the whole episode was mishandled from the beginning. The Tehreek activists were allowed to freely travel from Lahore all the way to Rawalpindi. Had the authorities and law-enforcement agencies in Islamabad and Punjab done their jobs as soon as the relatively small group of TLYRAP supporters moved towards the capital, they should have been controlled and diverted to somewhere else or the Parade Ground in Islamabad that is the officially designated area for rallies and protests. For whatever reason, this was not done and the protestors were allowed to occupy Faizabad, paralyzing life in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Also, after they gathered at Faizabad, no attempt was made to stop their supporters from joining in or to prevent food and other supplies they needed to sustain the sit-in.
According to media reports, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal tried to get the help of ulema and mashaikh to negotiate a peaceful resolution with the demonstrators, but in vain. It was only after the Islamabad High Court and the Supreme Court ordered the government to end the standoff that it took action but in a state of confusion.
The police crackdown failed due to lack of proper planning. Later, the Army was called out to restore security in the federal capital. The government panicked and committed one blunder after another. In an unprecedented move, all private TV channels were taken off air and social media platforms blocked. The clampdown on the media was widely condemned as it did not help the government and sparked rumour mongering in the country.
The military was reluctant to intervene and wanted the civilian government to solve the problem. The army leadership told the PM that troops should be employed as a last resort, pointing out that in its order the IHC had directed the government not to use firearms during the clearance operation. General Bajwa has also been quoted as advising the government to "identify and punish" those responsible for causing the chaotic situation.
But the government seemed to be unwilling to take responsibility for its own actions. The Interior Minister refused to accept any liability for the police crackdown, saying he did not oversee the action and that it was undertaken directly by the local administration and the police chief. This is strange as internal security is the direct responsibility of the Interior Minister. Indeed, it is the job of the administration and the police to ensure peace. They share much of the blame for not taking timely preventive measures.
The protesters won the day by exploiting an emotional religious issue. But the initial ammunition was provided by the government by tinkering with the oath regarding the finality of prophethood in the Election Bill 2017. This was a blunder. The protest sit-in could also be dispersed in the beginning had the law minister resigned earlier. The way the whole thing was handled has exposed the incompetence of the government and weakened the authority of the state.