Tahir Maqsood Chheena
As Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) navigates the most precarious chapter of its political journey, one truth stands clear: the party has only one viable path forward — a sustained, principled political struggle. All alternative routes that once led political actors or parties to power through backdoor maneuvers, institutional alignment, or covert alliances have either collapsed or become inaccessible. For PTI, the era of relying on establishment favor, bureaucratic facilitation, or international pressure is effectively over.
The post-2023 political landscape is fundamentally different. The rules have changed. No political party, especially one as polarizing and confrontational as PTI, can expect shortcuts to power through non-political means. The myth of backdoor deals, judicial relief without public mandate, or quiet endorsements from power centers has lost relevance. The only path that remains both legitimate and effective is the democratic one: grassroots mobilization, organizational discipline, and ideological clarity.
This political struggle, however, cannot succeed in abstraction. It demands internal reorganization. PTI must rebuild its party infrastructure from the ground up — strengthening its presence in every district, every constituency, and every community. The party’s workers, many of whom have faced repression, arrests, and social backlash, need not only training and resources but also renewed morale. PTI’s leadership must inspire them with vision, not vague promises; with sacrifice, not strategy alone.
Equally critical is the role of the public. No political movement in history has succeeded without mass participation. If PTI wishes to regain political momentum, it must translate passive popularity into active mobilization. This means peaceful but forceful public demonstrations, civic engagement, and sustained pressure on the system — not for confrontation’s sake, but for democratic accountability.
Imran Khan’s narrative thrives on resistance — to dynastic politics, institutional overreach, and elite manipulation. If that narrative is diluted by political compromise or secret negotiations, the consequences could be devastating. A political deal with the system might offer short-term respite, but it will shatter PTI’s ideological base. The party’s supporters, already disillusioned by state repression and judicial setbacks, may abandon the cause if they perceive a betrayal of principle. The leadership’s credibility, once questioned, is difficult to restore.
Moreover, such a compromise would undermine the very basis on which PTI challenged the status quo: that real change cannot come from within a corrupted system, but only through fundamental transformation driven by the will of the people. Retreating from this promise will reduce the party to a shadow of its former self — another player in a rigged game it once vowed to upend.
Thus, PTI’s challenge is not just to survive the present crisis — it is to evolve into a mature, institutionally resilient political force. That requires rejecting the politics of expediency and embracing the long, often thankless path of democratic struggle. This means investing in grassroots political education, building coalitions based on shared values, and articulating a coherent policy vision beyond slogans.
PTI’s future lies not in courtrooms or backchannels, but in the streets, the neighborhoods, and the hearts of the people. It must reclaim the democratic space through legitimacy earned in the field, not granted from above. The narrative must shift from victimhood to agency — from being targeted to becoming a force for democratic restoration.
The 2018 formula — a mix of mass popularity and establishment alignment — no longer applies. Today, only one formula holds promise: ideological coherence, organizational strength, and unwavering public engagement. Without this, PTI risks becoming a fleeting chapter in Pakistan’s political history — remembered more for its rise than its resilience.
In short, the time for shortcuts is over. PTI must now embrace the hard road of democratic politics, powered by its workers, guided by principle, and anchored in public support. This is not just a tactical necessity; it is a test of whether the party can become what it claims to be — a movement for real change, driven by the people and for the people.
