Violent riots broke out in Lahore and other cities in Punjab after prolonged power outages. The Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) has been criticised for instigating these riots.
The party encouraged its workers to join the protests against the outages but subsequently failed to protect public property. The Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) boosted its supplies in a bid to deflate the PML-N’s plans to capitalise on the crisis, which seemed to work.
In this ongoing game of “one up” will Pakistanis have to deal with blows every time the opposition clashes with the ruling government?
What, in your opinion, are the more intelligent ways of getting our points across, than succumbing to the ways of power politics?
Dawn.com invites its readers to give their views and suggestions.
Power outages should be restore at any cost it is issue of common man and political parties should support to public in this regard. Here PMLN playing double game one side they encourage protest and other side punjab government is making FIR against protester and civil-en and catching them from their houses.
The article and its title illustrate the real problem….
The fact that in the psyche of the population itself is violent.
And violence the first and preferred way to express dissatisfaction / opposition to points of views.
Sirs, it is not power play. This is criminal violence. To be prosecuted under the law.
The only “preferred” options, in fact the only legitimate options are … to express differences peacefully, and argue / debate / agitate… again peacefully.
I think Imran Khan and his party are a good role model to emulate in this regard. There are no intelligent ways that are yet to be invented for putting across one’s point. As long as a point is made with complete sincerity and honesty and is underpinned by a feeling of compassion for others and of gratitude to our Maker it will have the desired impact regardless of whoever makes the point
Violence is usually the hall mark of criminals or with such tendencies where as a peaceful protest is ,properly organised and controlled shows a maturity and and a since of responsibility. In any democratic country it is right of the people to strike or protest in a peaceful manner. People who break the law by violence should be brought to courts. However the problem arises if the government becomes deaf and dumb and fails to resolve the people’s grievances. A truly democratic government is a people’s government
and persons at the helm should know that they are people’e representatives and not dictators.
It is a mystery that in Pakistan there is usually a violent response by the people. Why can’t they have peaceful demonstrations?
You asked about “the more intelligent ways of getting our points across”, I tell you these protestors should go and hostage Islamabad, enough is enough. If I cannot have power, ZARDARI/GILLANI/AND OTHERS will also sit in dark. I do not see a revolution at this time, since the people are basically brain dead. Revolution is the only way out to get rid of these Jagirdar politicians.
We need to boycott all the previously elected so called leaders. Their corrupt games are only taking us down the path of destruction. We as a nation/people to survive have to try NEW faces/policies with far sight (beyond our nose) and knowledge and keep changing them till we find a morally honest one. Remember we as a nation/people have to work also to succeed, that means give up the old ways. Nothing in this world is free or given without any compensation. Our moral compass has to be STRAIGHT.
I do not think that joining the public’s protest demonstartions against the government for the power outages is anything wrong if PML (N) has done it. But resorting to voilence while demonstrating is extremely wrong even if the public has done it with or without the nod from PML(N). If PML(N) wishes to lead these demonstrations they must take this opportunity to educate our masses to have peaceful demonstrations or sit-ins as they did it in Tahrir square. There is no need for all people to take part continuously for these sit-ins. People can arrange and take turns for these long sit-ins. The government will be forced to take notice. Otherwise the world will take notice.
The statements from Naveed Qamar and Firdous Ashiq regarding taking advantage or harming democracy from this situation are a lot of rubbish. We should ask them to shut their own homes’ electricity for 14 hours per day then give such statements.
Yes, a much more intelligent way would be to not support any political parties anymore. They are a bunch of power hungry people who have caused a chaos in Pakistan and have led to the power crisis itself, the PML-N is to blame just as much as PPP for the current power crisis.