It was 11 o’clock at night on the 9th of April 2022. PM Imran Khan was playing his last round of political cricket by outsmarting a very dumb opposition who could not figure out how to bat the bouncers and spinners that PM Imran Khan was throwing at them one after the other. The No Confidence Motion had been bold out by Khan’s master stroke of Article 5 which was unfortunately stubbed by two umpires who were supposed to be neutral but were not. Nonetheless, he had bowled out another spinner and was drumming his fingers for the clock to strike twelve midnight for the date to change and the No Confidence Motion session to expire for a good six months. Suddenly, someone told him that the 111 Brigade had arrived at the parliament complete with the prisoner van and two judges from the Supreme Court shuffling along just behind the convoy. It was then that the PM understood the whole game and who had been hoodwinking him all along and who had played the role of Meer Jaffar and Meer Sadiq once again in history.
He stood up. Picked up his diary. And left. No one understood at that time why he left the parliament with the victory sign. Our hearts were bleeding at the saddest words possible of that time as he asked out aloud, ‘Anyone left who has not turned against me ?’ No doubt he is the smartest of brains of the 21st century with a far-sighted vision and an amazing resilience. In a flash of a moment he had understood that he and his team and his champions were about go into another intense training session that had been decided and designed by Allah Almighty Himself.
The nation replied to his question the very next night by pouring out onto the roads, not just in Islamabad, not just in Pakistan but all over the world. It was Ramadan, but that did not deter people. Because this is a nation who understands that worship is not just on the prayer mat with a rosary but to be effective on ground as well. Was not the Battle of Badr fought in Ramadan ? Was not Makkah conquered during Ramadan ? Was not Spain conquered on Eid-ul Fitr ? Yes, few of us know this and few us want to know this. We are happier to digest a religion which is in the comfort of our homes and within our comfort zone. To stay hungry and thirsty and pray on a prayer mat is so easy. And it is so difficult to stand your ground for Haq, because it involves danger. That is why Allah Almighty has said that the highest degree of Jihad is to speak Haq in front of the Pharaohs of the times. So the people did, all through Ramadan and afterwards, they spoke Kalma’e Haq by their presence in Imran Khan’s Jalsa tour across Pakistan. The gusto did not fade away.
The Long March to Islamabad was to take place at the end of May. I wonder what Imran Khan had in mind for the end of May but it so happens that many important dates were conglomerating at the end of May. The imported government was supposed to meet IMF on 25th of May to collect money to squander. Out of the blue, the Kashmiri freedom-fighter Yasin Malik’s court date became scheduled for 25th May at which his daughter Raziyah called upon Imran Khan to address the date with his Long March. Yom’e Takbeer is today, 28th of May and tomorrow is 29th of May whence daughter of the nation Dr. Aafia Siddiqui is exhausting seven thousand days of her life in an illegal imprisonment.
With all these issues in mind we set out on the night of the 25th of May to meet and greet PM Imran Khan on Srinagar Highway to head towards D-Chowk which is in front of the parliament, the very place PM Imran Khan had been betrayed at only forty-five days ago. Of course we had to stand our ground at D-Chowk at least, which in any case is the standard demonstration ground for any protestors. As there seemed to be a delay in the procession of PM Imran Khan to reach the Srinagar Highway, many people decided to reach the D-Chowk on their own. People had picked multiple locations all over Islamabad all along his procession route, including bridges, to welcome PM Imran Khan.
As we reached D-Chowk on the sidelines from the Marriott side, carrying flags, placards and backpacks, children and all, we were welcomed with the stench of tear gas. Someone asked us to stay back for a while until the smoke had subsided. We wondered why the police would gas unarmed civilians … I was still wondering while texting casually on my mobile … when my husband suddenly shouted, ‘Go! Go!’ I thought he was saying that the entrance had cleared of the rush and we could enter now … only to raise my head to clouding smoke and total chaos. I was carrying Aafia placards which I did not want to leave behind and in great panic I held on to my children and my placards and started to move. But the tear gas smoke was burning and watering my eyes and we were all going blind. The ground was uneven and the rushing crowd was turning into a stampede. My heart was thumbing lest we lose any child. We finally clustered to a stop a few yards away. We had parked our car in one of the side streets and stumbled towards it. It was then decided that the girls would be dropped off home and the boys will come back to fight … and fight back we shall now !
A couple of girls from the FB Dekhlo Page were also getting into their cars when one of them asked the kids to give a short interview. There were small fires burning here and there but we all relaxed thinking the attack is over now. Suddenly another tear gas shell zoomed out. There was a hue and cry and everybody scrambled into their cars. We turned on the news on our mobiles to find out what’s going on. We then found out that the Islamabad administration was using drones to locate where groups of people were hiding out and targeting them.
Allaho Akbar ! As if we are living in Kashmir, as if we are living in Palestine, as if we are living in Syria !!!
I heard someone saying later on as to why people took their women and children to D-Chowk ? Right. I suppose you guys will ask the same question to Imam Hussain, why he went to Karbala with the women and children of his family ? Rest assured absolutely no ways are we or our children going to sit home and watch helplessly this dacoit, treacherous, imported government take over our country. And I want to thank Rana Sanaullah here for two things. His stupid adventure has clarified who is Hussaini and who is Yazidi in Pakistan today. Plus, while Imran Khan turned the people of Pakistan into a nation, Rana Sanaullah has turned us into warriors. We were not prepared afore but rest assured we will now equip ourselves and train ourselves and you will soon meet the army of PM Imran Khan in some battle ground !
