Ahmed Mukhtar Naqshbandi
ISLAMABAD: Following the firing incident at Imran Khan’s container during his “Azadi March” in Wazirabad, Gujranwala on Thursday, The PTI workers started their countrywide protest in major cities across Pakistan on Friday.
On Friday, a message was displayed from PTI official Twitter page on behalf of PTI central leader Asad Umer appealing to its workers to come to the streets till fulfillment of their demands.
Accordingly, protests were held in Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar, Malakand, Muzaffargarh, Kohat, and other cities. However, protests in some areas including the premises of Governor House Lahore and Faizabad Interchange Islamabad got intensified on Friday evening.
In the evening and later when the protest went further intensified, several roads including some junctions at Motorway (M1 and M2) and expressways were also blocked.
Political and financial experts fear the Gujranwala incident and the subsequent protest creating political unrest may trigger financial crises in the country. According to them, the country was recently hit by a severe monsoon and floods caused huge human and financial losses.
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Pakistan Stock Exchange
Meanwhile, the ongoing political turmoil has already affected the trade in Pakistan Stock Exchange on Friday, where Hundred Index closed 200 points below the previous day’s mark.
A couple of days before Pakistan received $1.5 billion in aid from the Asian development bank and some commitments are on board from The World Bank and other CPEC-related projects. These developments were sighted to have an optimistic impact on resolving the prevailing financial issues in the country.
Threatening fiscal scenarios
However, the Gujranwala incident and the following protests from Pakistan Tehrek-e-Insaf might have created some threatening fiscal scenarios in the country.
Meanwhile, instead of initiating dialogue, leaders from both the government and the opposition indulged themselves in a blame game minimizing the chances of reconciliation.
Back-door negotiations
A week earlier reports were circulating that both sides were engaged in back-door negotiations to have some settlements on demands of PTI regarding early elections and there was news of forming a committee to carry the talks.
However, on the following day, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah rejected any such committee and possibilities of talk.
Unfortunately, the last couple of days observed no signs of fruitful talks or engagements from both sides making the situation further deteriorating, both politically and financially.
Keeping in view the ongoing situation it is the responsibility of both sides to settle the differences immediately unless there comes a point of no return.
