A PANICKING administration is desperately trying to prevent raging crowds from storming the capital, breaking through all the barriers on their way. For the past several days, Islamabad has been in a virtual state of lockdown with containers blocking the main arteries. Most of Punjab’s motorways and highways were closed to stop the marchers.
Yet all those measures seemed to have failed. The rampaging multitudes broke through the siege and entered the city. The army has been called in after a night of violence that left security personnel dead and wounded. According to reports, the troops have been given shoot-on-sight orders, as the situation is slipping from the hands of the civil administration. Troop deployment is generally seen as the last resort to prevent a looming collapse.
It may not be the first time In the country that the army has been called in to act in aid of the civilian administration but never before has it faced such a challenging situation in the capital. The decision will have its own repercussions, with the troops confronting a highly volatile crowd not willing to back down. It’s a dangerous situation that may lead to a direct confrontation between the troops and protesters. What happens next is anybody’s guess.
It is, perhaps, the most serious situation the country has faced of late. The worsening confrontation between the PTI-led opposition and the establishment-backed ruling coalition threatens to plunge the country into anarchy. Tensions had been building up since the controversial Feb 8........