Qamar Kaira Calls Existing System ‘Hybrid’, Shafi Jan Reaffirms PTI Long March

LAHORE:Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) senior leader Qamar Zaman Kaira has described the country’s current political arrangement as a “hybrid system”, arguing that such an arrangement has no place in the Constitution.

Speaking on a television programme, Kaira said democracy had effectively been replaced by a hybrid system. He claimed that during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, former ISI chief General Faiz Hameed had a major role in state affairs.

Kaira also said that political and institutional intervention had existed during PPP’s tenure, but claimed that his party had nevertheless sought to make state institutions accountable before Parliament.

Commenting on the PTI’s planned protest movement, Kaira alleged that the government wanted to prevent PTI from reaching a position where it could effectively protest, which, he said, could frustrate the party’s workers and voters.

At the same time, he alleged that PTI wanted large numbers of people to take to the streets in the expectation that casualties could increase pressure on the government and judiciary and potentially create a route towards the release of PTI founder Imran Khan. These were Kaira’s assertions about the motives of the two sides and were not independently established.

Kaira advised the government to pursue reconciliation with the opposition and warned that large gatherings during protests could potentially provide an easy target for militants. He urged the government to stop using force against PTI and alleged that raids and vandalism at the homes of party workers were widening the gap between citizens and the state. Recent reporting also quoted Kaira as calling on the government to end the use of force against PTI supporters.

Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Shafi Jan has reiterated that PTI’s long march towards Islamabad will begin on September 27.

Speaking on a private television programme, Jan said the march could take three to four days to reach Islamabad and could extend into October or even November. He said the participants would not return until the party’s demands were addressed.

Jan claimed that more than two million people would participate and challenged the government to make preparations to stop the march. He also claimed that around 3,000 containers had already reached Islamabad, saying their presence could itself create difficulties for traffic and movement.

The September 27 date for the march has previously been reaffirmed by Jan, who said PTI remained open to negotiations but would not change the schedule without tangible progress on its stated demands.

PTI has described the planned mobilisation as a political and constitutional movement, with its stated demands including progress in cases involving Imran Khan and implementation of a court order concerning his medical treatment and transfer.

The Islamabad High Court, meanwhile, has ruled that political parties do not have a legal right to occupy public roads, highways or buildings and directed provincial governments to ensure that state machinery is not used to facilitate protests. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has said the government will enforce the court’s directions.

The government and PTI therefore remain at odds over the planned September 27 mobilisation, while calls for political dialogue continue alongside preparations for the proposed march.

[1]: https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/qamar-zaman-kaira-urges-govt-to-stop-force-against-pti-2255536.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com “Govt Should Not Use Force Against PTI, It Is Widening Public-State Divide: Qamar Zaman Kaira”