PESHAWAR: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had planned several attractive events for the whole month of August to celebrate the independence of the country and also as a strategy to counter the marches of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Pakistan Awami Tehreek, but the PML-N workers could not maintain tempo of the functions to achieve the goal.

It was observed that several events were held in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, mainly in Peshawar, but after Aug 14 no function was held in connection with the country’s independence. Even on the Independence Day, the party people failed to organise big functions except the one arranged in Hayatabad where the prime minister’s adviser Amir Muqam was the chief guest.

No doubt, the PML-N leadership is concerned about the prolonged protest marches of the PTI and PAT and trying to seek an immediate solution to get rid of the protesters at the earliest, but the party workers are least bothered to hold a single protest demonstration in support of the federal government.

It was observed that the PML-N workers held rallies in different cities of the country, but Peshawarites remained silent. The provincial council meeting of the party on Aug 21, 2014 at Hayatabad also failed to devise a strategy for countering the long marchers because a worker of the party stood up, started shouting at the leaders to leave speeches and come forward for sacrifices against Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri. The worker was beaten up by other workers, resulting in a chaos on the occasion.

KP workers feel ignored by party’s central leadership

A number of local PML-N leaders contacted by this correspondent for comments avoided saying anything on record against the leadership. However, background interviews revealed that majority of the party workers preferred to stay at home, watch television and get updates about the protest marches. The basic reason for the workers’ lack of interest in protest demonstrations is stated to be failure of the central leadership and federal government to give due attention to problems of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“The federal ministers are not ready to give attention to the party workers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, especially Pakhtuns. The people belonging to Hazara division have the opportunity to get support of Governor Sardar Mehtab Khan, retired captain Safdar or Sardar Mohammad Yousuf, but the Pakhtun belt is totally ignored,” a local leader complained.

The source revealed that the central leadership was not interested even to strengthen the party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the time being and thus the proposals about joining of the newcomers were also not paid any attention and many people who wished to join PML-N had joined other rival political parties.

However, PML-N provincial general secretary Rehmat Salam Khattak did not agree with such people and said that it was not the time to raise demands before the leadership.

He said that majority of the workers were ready to come to the streets against PTI chairman Imran Khan to counter his Azadi March, but the leadership was not allowing them because efforts were being made to resolve the issues amicably.

“Our workers have complaints, but it is Imran Khan that helped unite the PML-N workers through his Azadi March and now all workers are ready to obey whatever order is given to them by the leadership,” Mr Khattak claimed.

About the failure of PML-N to follow the schedule it had announced for celebrating the country’s independence for the whole month, he said that most of the activities had come to an end, but some of sports events meant for internally displaced persons in Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan would be held soon.

Party’s provincial secretary information Nasir Khan Musazai said that the party workers were ready to come on to the streets against Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri, but the leadership was not allowing them to do so.

“What the protesters did during the marches is being condemned by people of all segments as no civilised citizen will like to allow sisters and daughters to dance in rallies,” he lamented. Referring to Imran’s challenge to different parties for holding such rallies, he said that the crushing defeat in the by-elections on NA-1 Peshawar should be enough for Imran, but he did not take a lesson from it.

“Nawaz Sharif is an elected prime minister of 180 million people who cannot not be removed through dances, music and on the wish of someone,” he said and claimed that PTI’s provincial government could be toppled within no time, but the central leadership of PML-N did not want to do so.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2014