With the PTI and PAT long marches all set for Independence Day, we decided to get in touch with various celebrities to see where they stand on the political crisis in the country.

What are your thoughts on the long marches to the capital?

Mohsin Hamid: I think it’d be better if we have elections every five years, and let the parties that win the elections govern. I can understand why Imran Khan would want to protest, but I’m not particularly sympathetic. I think that he should let the elected assemblies do the best they can, and vote in new people at the next round.

Faiza Samee: I think that there's a lot of disruption. It is very disappointing that Pakistan has to really come to this level. Both the parties have a role to play in this. It's very embarrassing [for us] to explain this situation to people abroad. I feel bad for our country and our people.

Deepak Perwani: I like to keep away from Pakistani politics. It is ridiculous. Will they compensate us for shutting our shops? Will they clean their mess or [will they] provide fuel for the cars that are going to get burned? People are going to die. Imran Khan doesn’t make sense. And Qadri is so scared, he doesn't come out of the his bullet proof kumra.

Bilal Lashari: I think the government panicked and over reacted. They should have taken a lesson from Zardari, who knew how to play the game. The situation has escalated and become intense and very real now.

Rizwan Beyg: I think everything is great in this country as long as it doesn’t cause inconvenience to other people. You [the government] can continue to do what you do, but people have to get to work every day. If you [the government] are going to disrupt life, people will get annoyed and lose their faith in the whole system.

Sanam Chaudhri: I feel that the march is pointless. It is creating an unnecessary ruckus to an issue that is blown out of proportion. It is not a true azadi march, as azadi will not come out of it. We cannot get past the political innuendo.

What do you think the outcome of the marches will be?

Mohsin Hamid: I don’t know [but] I am afraid of the violence that will come. Some people take advantage of it to destabilise the situation [and] we windup in a situation of chaos. If this is an excuse for the military to step in – I think it’ll be a disaster for the country.

Faiza Samee: Most people in Pakistan want to get on with their lives. Whatever the outcome, we just hope that it is the best for the country. Sixty odd years and we’re still stuck in this mess and haven’t been able to establish a proper democracy. I’m not condoning any of their acts, but If you don’t get proper election results, this is bound to happen. However, I don’t agree with the method they [the politicians] are using. There is a lot of desperation amongst the people and the government is out of context.

Rizwan Beyg: It really comes down to how the government handles the situation. Confrontation doesn’t solve anything, and then that causes it to become an issue of ego, an ‘imparfait’ – an "immovable" kind of a situation. It takes maturity to realise that only through dialogue and not force can anything be achieved.

Bilal Lashari: I have been tuning in to stay updated and don’t know what will come out of this, especially with the rain forecast for the next three days in Islamabad.

Deepak Perwani: When you live in a country where politics is like Indian cinema, it’s always the wrong person for the wrong job. We elected the PM for the third time after [we] sent him packing for all the charges. It’s like an Indian drama – what will be the outcome?

Sanam Chaudhri: I really don’t know. Anything can happen, this is Pakistan.

How interested or tuned in are you to the current political crisis?

Mohsin Hamid: I live in Lahore, [so] I am interested in the sense that I have to pay attention to running around the city. People were stuck in other parts of the country and couldn’t make it back to Lahore, [so] basically life is being impacted – not in any disastrous way for myself – I am a bystander who's looking at two speeding vehicles heading for each other, hoping they don’t crash.

Faiza Samee: I don’t even want to watch TV anymore because its so disappointing. One can just hope and pray that both the parties work out something that makes the country move forward. [I hope] the scenario resolves in the next few days, so people can get on with their lives.

Rizwan Beyg: I'm totally tuned in. Im following it. I think that is the point of Twitter and Facebook; social media is actively involved [and] through social media, one gets informed faster.

Deepak Perwani: Isn't Karachi always in a political crisis? [It's] all political parties – not just these three that are fighting right now. Politicians here are only for themselves, not for the people. Abroad, you [the politicians] are there to serve the people – here, politicians think they are doing a favour to the people by giving them paani (water) and shelter.

Sanam Chaudhri: I’m not really interested in this current political crisis as I am already so disheartened with man for whom I voted (Imran Khan).

Would you march or not march – and why?

Mohsin Hamid: I wouldn’t march for the politicians that we’re talking about at the moment. I couldn’t imagine walking today for Imran Khan, Nawaz Sharif or Zardari for that matter. I think Qadri is a menace, probably the one I like the least. I have marched in the past in protests and rallyies. [But] at the moment, I would not march.

Faiza Samee: I'm not a political person at all. I am an artist and I do creative things. I am so much in touch with people amd workers. When I see how much they suffer, it affects me immensely. I post things sometimes [on social media], [but] by nature, I'm not a very political person.

Rizwan Beyg: I don’t work for any politician. This march is not a cause or a battle that I would like to be a part of. All politicians are disgraceful. This is not something I believe in. If the march was for Women’s rights or for Abdul Sattar Eidi, a humanitarian cause, something I believe in, I would have gone on the streets... I wouldn’t want to do this for corrupt people. I have no alignment with this political system.

Deepak Perwani: March for who? I like intelligence, [not idiocy].

Bilal Lashari: I [just] pray the marches remain peaceful and only help Pakistan.

Sanam Chaudhri: I would definitely march if this was a patriotic march, but I would not march in this one. It's too political.

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