Maulana Fazal ur Rehman’s Azadi march has reached Islamabad, ostensibly its final destination, but in the process the cleric has touched quite a few raw nerves in the government as well as within the opposition. Maulana Fazlur Rehman has given two days to Prime Minister Imran Khan to resign. Mr Khan has pooh-poohed the demand making it clear that he is no way going to oblige the opposition. What is more, he has made fun of the JUI-F chief and the leaders of the entire opposition, calling them a gang of political orphans, thus adding fuel to the fire. A Prime Minister is expected to reduce political tensions instead of exacerbating them. Those who have PM Khan’s ear need to advise him to avoid provoking the protesters which he is constantly doing, even at the risk of worsening the law and order situation.

The Maulana addressing the mammoth rally on Friday did not spare the military establishment either, giving a two days ultimatum to the prime minister to resign. Implicitly threatening he said, “If we feel that the institutions are protecting these illegitimate rulers, then after a time limit of two days we should not be stopped from forming an opinion regarding the institutions.” The military‘s spokesman while responding to the JUI-F chief, cryptically stated that the opposition should understand that the Army is supporting a democratically elected government not any one party.

The PPP and the PML-N had made it known before the Azadi March that they would stand by the JUI-F leadership during the March and at the Islamabad public meeting. They would however not join any sit-in. By deciding to go for a dharna ignoring other parties’ reservations, the JUI-F chief has taken a leap of faith. Imran khan Khan refuses to be judged by his past pronouncements audaciously claiming that taking U-turns is a sign of a good leader. Unfortunately this self-righteous mindset has permeated from the very top to the bottom.

But, it seems the upcoming days are going to witness violence given the ferocity of the statements from either side. Once the deadline expires, what cards does the Maulana have to topple the government? Will his ‘million marchers’ occupy the Constitution Avenue and cripple the government? Will the law enforcement agencies’ action trigger countrywide violence inflicting chaos and uncertainty? One thing is clear that Rehman is not in any mood to sit-in for weeks. In his own words, “I warn you to resign in two days or else we will be forced to think of another method; don’t test our patience”. His plan to not prolong the sit-in perhaps stems from the fact that no mainstream party wants to be part of it. The Maulana-led crowd has been addressed by the top leadership of all big parties.

There are indications that the JUI-F’s marchers might move towards the D-Chowk, a venue that the PTI’s marchers led by Mr Imran Khan had occupied for more than three months in 2014. Despite the rowdyism displayed then, the PTI and PAT protestors were not forcibly removed even at the expense of the Chinese President’s visit. Against this the JUI-F’s march remained peaceful during a trek of over 1000 km as well as during its three-day stay in Islamabad. Any attempt to stop a peaceful rally which has assiduously avoided blocking traffic or acting unlawfully would be considered discriminatory. Among the areas blocked by the administration is Faizabad Interchange where TLP workers had stopped all traffic by force for nearly three weeks. A different treatment meted out to peaceful marchers who want to hold a sit-in would create a perception of partiality on the part of those in power.

The main problem confronting Khan’s dream team is that it is yet to get it’s to get its act together; most ministers behave as if they are still in the opposition. To remain uncontroversial, state institutions and government departments should avoid taking sides on divisive political issues. The DG ISPR’s judgmental statement on the Azadi March leading to Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s riposte is an example. However, the PTI government should mainly blame itself for forcing the opposition to go for a march by issuing inflammatory statements.