PTI Hissy Fit Gone Wrong: The Al Fatah Episode

Photo Credit: PAKISTAN TODAY

Yesterday the Lahore Development Authority sealed the famous departmental store Al Fatah’s Liberty Market branch for building violations. It was something that LDA has done in the past and is a routine as per a judgment passed by the Supreme Court against illegal structures. But in this case, instead of accepting their mistake and accepting that they had broken the law, the Owners of Al Fatah cried wolf and whipped up support through their new found political buddies PTI. In a matter of hours, there was a group of people standing at the Liberty Round about chanting slogans against the Punjab Government and calling this instance a matter of political revenge. It got to a point where PTI officially sent out SMS s to its supporters to help plead the cause of the Al Fatah owners.

Now thing is throughout this episode the key issue has been missed and instead has been masked by the jingoistic approach of the PTI. This is an issue about a building that is unsafe and is built illegally. That is the reason why it has been sealed off. It is that simple. The LDA went ahead and even gave Six very specific instances of the violations which are:

1. Basement extended under front arcades
2. Basement extended into adjacent plazas without LDA approval 
3. Building projected onto road side from first to top floor
4. Steel structure projection to create balcony, place electric sub-station in rear balcony
5. Arcades on front side raised 
6. Encroaching rear arcade by constructing wall and placing generator.

These are all very clear reasons and genuine building code violations. If it was any other building it would be an issue but just because the owner has recently joined PTI this whole case has been given a political face. It is at this point I would like to explain how PTI and its supporters are being duped by their own party and its new members.

Photo Credit: Insaf.pk

Firstly, if it was a political revenge act as the PTI claims it to be, wouldn’t the revenge extend to the DHA branch too. I mean come on lets be honest here, what sort of a lame ass revenge is this where the Liberty Market branch is sealed off while the other branch remains open for business? That’s just stupid. Cause normally the way political revenge works is that you shut down everything the other guys have instead of just shutting one of their concerns.

Secondly, how dumb do you seriously think the Punjab Government is? I mean think about it, PML N has been in control of Lahore for over 20 years now. They have Lahore locked up from day one. If they were this stupid do you rationally think that they would be able to hold on for this long? Logically speaking, no incumbent does something so public against a so called rival because its like shooting yourself in the foot. This is Politics 101, do not screw with your opponents supporters in full view of the media and public.

Thirdly, PTI needs to seriously start getting a life. You guys are not a 16 year old teenager who has a severe complex where she thinks that the whole world is after her and she is the center of all attention. It is getting insane the way you are behaving and acting out. It is one thing to be trolling people on social media, which I must say is super pathetic but to actually start protecting illegal activities and law violations under your party banner is a sickening use of political force. Does PTI even realize that yesterday’s stunt has basically proven to people that they will cry over the smallest thing without actually figuring out all the facts? No wonder they bite the idea that corruption will be gone in 90 days. But I digress. The point here is protest all you want, throw your hissy fits wherever you feel comfy and act like you are the center of the damn universe, but for the love of GOD stop defending people who have clearly broken laws and stop trying to turn everything in to a political game designed against you.

The whole Al Fatah episode has not only exposed the childish and victimhood approach of the PTI and its supporters it has also clearly shown that PTI and its supporters are incapable of actually thinking on their own and searching for the truth. Instead they have developed the mentality of a brainwashed mob. The fact is PTI used official party sources to whip up a storm against a decision of the Supreme Court taken against illegal structures. And these are the same people who talk about justice…