Politics of agitation

SEPTEMBER emerged as a politically charged month. The PTI and Jamaat-i-Islami announced their plans for long marches on Islamabad. The simultaneous mobilisation by the two parties had raised concerns about potentially prolonged street protests and disruptions in the capital. However, both parties postponed their marches (although the PTI has indicated it would begin its protest over the weekend), which temporarily eased the immediate concern of large-scale agitation. But, despite the postponements, the episode has once again highlighted the recurring pattern of opposition parties resorting to…