It seems the Prime Minister’s offer for a judicial commission has won him a whole bunch of new fans overnight. Many of these ‘pro-democracy’ enthusiasts have started saying that if Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) now decides to go ahead with its ‘Azadi March’, it will be a farce.

Talk about short memories. Talk about falling for a tried-and-failed politician’s promise for the nth time.

When will we learn?

Let us try to understand why thousands are marching to the capital tomorrow.

This march is about liberty — the freedom that rightfully belongs to the citizens but has been systematically snatched away by corrupt and greedy authorities at every level.

Compromise after compromise; settling for the bare minimum; comforting ourselves with whatever leftovers are thrown our way are just some examples of the visceral conditioning of people who are at the mercy of terrible governance.

The day finally came for the servility end. That day was May 11, 2013.

The elections were the occasion when the public flocked out in millions to finally vote for change. But unfortunately, they were compromised, and people compromised their hopes and aspirations along with it. Many of us believed some form of 'democracy' was good enough for now.

PTI, however, refused to compromise, and stood up to fight.

Many think the PTI did not raise the point of electoral reform in the Parliament, but it did in two separate resolutions. Raising the issue in the election tribunals as well as on the media, the party demanded a tiny favour (read ‘due rights’) from the legal bodies of the country: A recount of four constituencies – a minute sample of the whole exercise.

It was not granted.

Fifteen months passed and nothing was done, but reports of irregularities kept coming in.

We saw Chaudhry Nisar, the country’s interior minister losing a seat; a “typo” in Nawaz Sharif’s vote count; two reports from NADRA on NA-256 and the non-use of magnetized ink in two constituencies.

PTI’s white paper provided evidence of the rigging in detail.

Check out: Running out of options

I understand how one can argue that PTI supporters are sore losers, but this is a question of taking a principled stand outside of who won or lost the elections.

The FAFEN report called the elections ‘relatively fair’.

Is it so wrong to argue that relatively fair isn’t good enough? That inaction isn’t good enough?

Cover-up tactics, denial of a recount, lining up containers to stop a peaceful democratic protest, cutting off fuel for the same reason, Section 144, Article 245…it just doesn’t stop.

What has this ‘relatively fair’ government got to hide?

Now they’ve agreed to investigation, and people seem to think the judicial commission should shut Imran Khan up.

Gentle folks, let me make note of two things:

1. This commission is a victory for the PTI, not a slap in the face. It was only last night after a whole year of dilly dallying that the PML-N finally agreed to an investigation. And it was not until the past few weeks that they agreed to a recount. What does that mean? It means that it took nothing less than months of agitation and finally the threat of marching to the capital for this government to budge. All this while, our rulers were hoping to wiggle their way into a compromise again. They thought if the motorways and the metrobuses and the trains kept chugging along, the thorny issues would eventually get buried.

2. Secondly, let’s not get blown away by this proposal from our premier. Do we honestly expect a fair and impartial judicial commission under this government? These ‘commissions’ have very rarely been ‘impartial’ in our history, let alone under a government willing to use brutal police force to suppress anyone fighting its actions.

Know more: [Azadi] march madness: One day to go

The march is on and the aim is simple: to protest against the irregularities which occurred in the polls 2013 elections and demand that the PM give way to a caretaker setup and fresh elections.

I believe that the current government is based on a faulty mandate. Their actions show something fishy is going on, and only a setup based on technocrats can now be trusted to deliver.

I don’t want a government where friends and family are members of the cabinet. I want a government where the unlawful killings of people are investigated without political pressure. I want a setup where goons are not let free because they were affiliated with the politically powerful.

I do not want a police force that acts like private security guards. I want focus on education, health, and financial equality instead of metrobuses, trains, and non-functioning power plants.

I do not support military intervention or anarchy. I do not aim to riot on August 14.

I just want the system to work.