PTI’s chaos curve

The latest chapter in the PTI’s recurring tale of protest unfolded yesterday – Imran Khan’s ‘final call’ to march on Islamabad ostensibly fizzling out, in the wake of road closures, internet disruptions, arrests, and general public frustration. While the protest may not have escalated into major violence, its impact on ordinary citizens and the national exchequer was significant. Per reports and claims, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s prior warnings and the Islamabad High Court’s directives against such gatherings did little to deter PTI, which charged ahead regardless, with convoys of supporters facing arrests en route to the capital. The government, in turn, reacted with heavy-handed measures – blocking roads, closing educational institutions, and reportedly tampering with internet services under the guise of maintaining order. As has become routine with PTI protests, normal life ground to a halt for many citizens, while millions of rupees were drained from the national coffers.

There are lessons to be drawn here – not just for the PTI, but for the government as well. For the ruling coalition, a myopic approach of force and crackdowns will only deepen political polarisation. A segment within the PML-N has reportedly advocated for engaging with PTI, recognising that the party and its founder remain political realities that cannot simply be erased. Yet the government’s inability – or unwillingness – to negotiate with the PTI reflects a broader failure of political maturity across the board. For the PTI, however, the writing on the wall is stark. Protests may be an essential democratic right, but repeated calls for marches that disrupt public life and deplete resources have diminishing returns, both politically and morally. Observers have said that many within the PTI’s ranks had urged Imran Khan to reconsider the protest, citing public fatigue and the impracticality of his maximalist demands – which include the rollback of constitutional amendments and immediate government dissolution. These are not requests for negotiation; they are ultimatums.

Imran’s apparent refusal to listen to dissenting voices within his party or to engage in meaningful dialogue with other political stakeholders is emblematic of the same rigidity that has plagued his leadership. It may rally his hardcore supporters, but it alienates the broader electorate and strains the patience of a public already grappling with economic instability and security challenges. The reality is that anarchist politics only lead to diminishing credibility over time. The November 24 protest, like those before it, seems to have achieved little except sowing more chaos. The path forward is not through relentless agitation but through a serious recalibration of strategy. The PTI must come to terms with the fact that democracy is built on compromise, dialogue, and patience – not ultimatums or chaos. The party has every right to demand accountability and fair treatment, but it cannot hold the country hostage every time it faces political setbacks. But let’s be clear here: the government’s reaction can only be called over the top as well. Its reactionary crackdowns are hardly helping matters and are in fact only strengthening the narrative that this is a government that is on an authoritarian streak. For the sake of Pakistan’s political future, both the PTI and the government need to step off their current trajectory. The time has come for cooler heads to prevail – both within the PTI and across the aisle. Chaos should not be a strategy.