Editorial
Another senseless hartal
People's patience wearing thin
WHY must people be made to suffer a political party's dissatisfaction with a verdict of the court? That is what the Jamat-e-Islam (JI) is doing to the common man by calling a 48-hour hartal today and tomorrow.
One may not like a legal verdict, but that is entirely a matter of law which should be addressed through the process of law. It is abhorrent that a political party should choose to play politics with a legal matter instead of seeking recourse to law. And going by the timing of the hartal it would appear that it is not expressing their resentment at the judgment but deliberately putting the people through unmitigated hardship is what the aim of the JI is.
JI's programme had totally disrupted the Eid plans of a large number of people who use these few days to celebrate with their near ones, not to speak of the severe impact on tourism it has had. It is a pity that a party that does not hesitate to exploit the religious sentiments of the people for political gains should spill cold water on people's enthusiasm that follows the end of a month of fasting. JI did not even hesitate to call hartal during the month of Ramadan either and had indulged in violence too.
We feel that people's tolerance is running out and that might manifest into an outburst. JI's senseless repeated call for hartal is also blunting the edge of what is otherwise a lawful political means to express legitimate grievances against an establishment.
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