A roughly two-hour drive east from Peshawar brings us to Attock, on the banks of the Indus.
asserted
drive → bring → Indus
On the Punjab side, the inescapable Attock fortress, an imposing 16th century structure, dominates the relative lowlands of Khairabad in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Nowshera district — the venue of PTI’s renewed campaign to secure the release of their jailed leader, or at the very least seek some relief for him.
asserted
fortress → dominate → him
Connecting the two provinces via the N-5 — or Grand Trunk Road of yore — is the 701-metre new bridge at Khairabad, which sits not too far from its 119-year-old two-tiered steel truss road bridge that is now abandoned.
asserted
that → connect → bridge
It is here that the PTI wants to converge its protest march, which began in Gandi Chowk, Lakki Marwat on October 4.
asserted
which → want → October
Here, things are bound to get interesting.
asserted
things → bind → ?
Consider the route of the march first; the participants will reach the southern fringes of Peshawar’s Mattani by Tuesday night and stay overnight before resuming their march via the Ring Road.
asserted
participants → consider → Road
From there, they plan to take the M-1 motorway and continue all the way to Swabi — the last district adjoining Punjab.
asserted
they → plan → Punjab
In leading the protest march, Sohail Afridi has taken perhaps the biggest risk of his political career.
asserted
Afridi → lead → career
When it comes time to pay the piper, he may yet find himself standing alone at Khairabad
Here
uncertain
himself → come → Khairabad
, the marchers plan to exit the motorway and continue towards Khairabad via the Swabi-Jehangira Road.
asserted
marchers → plan → Road
At least, that’s the plan so far.
asserted
that → ’ → ?
But no one has been able to explain why the organisers plan to take such a circuitous route, switching from the motorway to GT Road, when all they would have to do is cross the M1 bridge over the Indus and enter Punjab?
asserted
they → explain → Punjab
There are many theories and speculation abounds, but no one, not even some key party figures, have a definitive answer.
asserted
one → be → answer
That is unless, of course, they want to keep their cards close to their chest.
asserted
they → want → chest
At least two senior figures in Islamabad have told Dawn that in principle, the decision to proclaim a state of emergency in KP has been taken.
asserted
decision → tell → KP
However, whether it comes to pass or not depends entirely on whether the PTI march attempts to force its way into Islamabad.
asserted
march → come → Islamabad
All those who ‘need to know’ have been conveyed the consequences of forced entry into Islamabad, and its fallout, in no uncertain terms.
asserted
who → need → terms
Speak to any party figure and they would tell you that they do not plan to put up any resistance or resort to violence to push their way through walls of steel containers.
asserted
they → speak → containers
“We will be at our peaceful best,” commented one lawmaker.
asserted
lawmaker → comment → best
This is mainly why the planners have decided to take this long detour — exit at the Swabi Interchange on M-1 to bypass Nowshera cantonment, which lies astride the GT Road — to avoid any direct contact.
asserted
which → decide → contact
Will it funnel through the lines of containers on Khairabad Bridge to confront and clash with riot police waiting on the other side of the Indus?
asserted
it → funnel → Indus
Or, will the participants camp in the plains of Khairabad on the KP side, and continue their protest in a peaceful manner?
asserted
participants → camp → manner
If so, then how long will they be able to keep it up?
asserted
they → keep → it
Will it even be logistically possible for them to sustain a sit-in, notwithstanding the implication of economic fallout for the people of KP, much of whose fuel and food comes via the GT Road?
asserted
much → sustain → Road
No one seems to have an explanation, unless of course, this is a deliberate deflection tactic.
asserted
this → seem → course
In the words of a senior party lawmaker, ‘war-gaming’ is not in the PTI’s DNA, but there is still some hope within the senior political leadership that despite the deadlock and the breakdown of negotiations in Islamabad, things can still be sorted out through dialogue.
asserted
things → be → dialogue
In the absence of a charismatic leader to mobilise and lead the march, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has clearly emerged as the party’s new poster boy.
asserted
Afridi → mobilise → boy
But at 37 years of age, with little political experience and surrounded by a council of so-called ‘wise men’ with no real political authority — including the party’s political committee — the firebrand former student leader also runs grave risks to his political career.
asserted
leader → surround → career
Losing his office through a possible disqualification case before the Election Commission of Pakistan, currently stayed by the Peshawar High Court, or through a pending petition filed by Sher Afzal Marwat before Federal Constitutional Court, are the two likely scenarios.
But even some senior party figures privately concede that by taking responsibility for leading the march, Sohail Afridi has taken perhaps the biggest risk of his political career.
asserted
Afridi → lose → career
If he is able to pull it off, i.e. bring the federal government to its knees and extract major concessions for his jailed party leader, he would emerge as the undisputed leader of the PTI.
asserted
he → pull → PTI
But while success will have many fathers, failure is an orphan; failing to achieve any of the stated goals of this march will have its implications.
asserted
failing → have → implications
And when it comes time to pay the piper, Afridi may yet find himself standing alone at Khairabad.
uncertain
himself → come → Khairabad
The Aporia
