PTI’s long march call casts shadow over livelihoods of KP’s daily earners
PESHAWAR, (APP): As the morning sun warms the walls of his modest home, taxi driver Anwar Ali starts his yellow cab and heads towards Peshawar, carrying with him the worries of a father, son and breadwinner.
At the General Bus Stand, while waiting for passengers, Anwar’s thoughts are not about politics rather about school fees, household expenses and the medical treatment of his ailing wife.
The greatest concern of the 51 year-old taxi driver is what will happens if the roads are blocked on September 27?
“I need open roads for dignified earning rather than agitation marches,” Anwar said as he invited a passenger into his taxi for Karkhano market.
For him, a blocked road is not merely a traffic problem rather it means a day without income and financial problems of his family.
“Who will pay our children’s school fees? Who will pay our family’s medical expenses?” he asked.
Like anwar, thousands of taxi and rickshaw drivers, transporters, traders, farmers and daily-wage workers across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa depend on the uninterrupted movement of transport and goods between districts.
For such workers, every day begins with the hope of earning enough to meet the needs of their families.
A political march may last a day or several days, but its economic consequences can reach much further.
Farmer Riaz Khan said his livelihood was closely tied to the opening of the GT Road and motorway. His vegetables must reach markets on time, and any prolonged closure could leave produce stranded and incomes lost.
“For a political worker, a protest may end when the gathering disperses, but for a small trader or transporter, its financial impact can continue for months,” said rickshaw driver Umar Khan of Nowshera.
The concerns of these ordinary workers have added a human dimension to the proposed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march announced for September 27.
Former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister and Awami National Party (ANP) leader Amir Haider Khan Hoti, speaking at joining ceremonies in Mardan on Sunday, criticised the proposed mass mobilisation, saying political parties should not put ordinary people in difficulty for political objectives.
He said PTI leadership was once again mobilising people through catchy political slogans and questioned the consequences of blocking roads and motorways and its negative impact on millions of poor daily wagers.
“If roads are blocked, whose roads will be blocked? And if anyone is harmed in Peshawar or Islamabad, whose children will suffer?” he asked.
Hoti said if PTI mobalizes people for resolution of issues such as peace, employment, education and the rights of citizens, ANP would support such causes.
He also criticised what he described as the PTI government’s approach towards terrorism, referring to the recent attack in Kohat and calling for greater attention to the province’s security challenges.
But beyond the political arguments lies a quieter question being asked at bus stands, roadside markets and small shops: who will absorb the cost if roads remain closed?
For people living from one day’s earnings to the next, there is little room for financial interruption.
A taxi driver may lose fares and a labourer may lose a day’s wage while a shopkeeper may see customers disappear. A farmer may fail to get perishable vegetables to market and a patient may face delays in reaching a hospital besides a transporter may spend additional money on fuel and alternative routes.
These are costs rarely visible from a political stage and needs consideration.
Political analysts and members of civil society have argued that peaceful protest remains a legitimate democratic right when exercised within the law, but prolonged road blockades, violence and disruption can affect citizens who have no direct role in political disputes.
Professor Dr A.H. Hilali, former chairman of the Department of Political Science at the University of Peshawar, said Pakistan was already confronting serious security and economic challenges and could not afford prolonged political confrontation.
He referred to the country’s history of political instability and urged political forces to set aside differences and work towards stability and combating terrorism in KP.
Former ambassador Manzoorul Haq also said regional security dynamics made political stability particularly important. He recalled repeated periods of political confrontation in Pakistan and said instability had affected democratic continuity as well as socioeconomic development.
He said political disagreements should be addressed through constitutional institutions and dialogue rather than prolonged agitation.
Pakistan’s political history provides several examples of how political disputes have spilled onto the streets.
The agitation following the 1977 general elections eventually escalated into widespread unrest and was followed by the military takeover of July 5, 1977. Political instability continued during the 1990s, when successive elected governments were dismissed amid allegations of corruption and electoral manipulation.
Another major episode came in 2014, when the PTI and Pakistan Awami Tehreek staged a prolonged sit-in in Islamabad over allegations concerning the 2013 general elections. The protest continued for 126 days.
Dr Hilali recalled that the protest disrupted normal state activities and affected the country’s international image. The allegations concerning the 2013 elections were later examined by an inquiry commission headed by former Chief Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk, which did not find evidence of systematic rigging that materially affected the election results.
PML-N Nowshera president Sahibzada Hamza and other political figures also criticised the proposed September 27 mobilisation, citing previous episodes of political unrest and their consequences.
Former environment minister Wajid Ali Khan said political leaders should focus instead on the issues facing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including terrorism, governance, public services, economic difficulties and unemployment.
He said the recent Kohat attack highlighted the need to strengthen the police and Counter Terrorism Department with modern equipment.
Retired government officer Misal Khan said democracy ultimately derives its strength from people’s votes and constitutional institutions, arguing that political differences should be settled through parliamentary and legal mechanisms.
But while political leaders debate strategy, constitutional questions and institutional authority, taxi driver Anwar Ali has a more immediate calculation to make.
His taxi needs fuel. His children need school fees. His mother needs medical treatment. His family needs food.
For him, the road is not simply a strip of asphalt connecting one city to another but the link between his labour and his family’s survival.
The same is true for Fayaz Khan, whose vegetables need to reach the market, and thousands of workers whose daily income depends on buses, trucks, taxis and rickshaws moving freely.
Experts said repeated road closures can disrupt supply chains, reduce productivity and impose additional costs on businesses and workers. They also cautioned that prolonged political confrontation can divert attention from problems such as inflation, unemployment, education, healthcare, terrorism and poor governance.
Political parties and civil society groups, they said, have a shared responsibility to protect the democratic right to peaceful expression while ensuring that ordinary citizens are not unnecessarily deprived of their livelihoods and access to essential services.
For Anwar, however, the debate is much simpler as he does not ask to be part of a political confrontation and long march appearantly meant to put pressure on state institutions for PTI jailed leader.
He asked only for a road that remains open long enough for him to earn his day’s income.
As the afternoon traffic begins to build around the general bus stand Peshawar, Anwar starts his taxi again, looking for his next passenger.
For millions like him, political agitation is measured not in speeches or slogans, but in one very practical question will there be a road open tomorrow and will they be able to earn on it for their families?
