ISLAMABAD  -  The much-hyped final protest call of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) faced a dead end on Tuesday night after its retreat from the venue for its dramatic power show, causing huge political damage to the party of former prime minister Imran Khan.

There is a sense of comfort in the rank and file of the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif administration after the paramilitary troops and police in the crackdown dispersed the protestors that had gathered in the high security Red Zone of the capital city.

On the other hand, there is disappointment and resentment within the ranks of PTI with many questioning the flawed political strategy of the party that not only failed to get the desired results of the protest march but also has caused huge embracement for the party. The ultimate objective was to ensure the release of jailed party leader Khan.

The party leadership is under criticism from both within and outside for leaving the protesters, mostly from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, at the mercy of law enforcement agencies. The leadership from Punjab is under the scrutiny for not making it to the protest venue, along with a large number of supporters.

The advice of seasoned politician Maulana Fazlur Rehman is very significant in the given circumstances that it is the political leadership that gives direction to its charged workers and not pushes them towards violence.

Political parties are always open to talks and they hold a dialogue with the opponents on the policy of ‘give and take.’ The inflexible posture adopted by Bushra, the wife of Imran Khan, over the offer of the government to hold the protest in Sangjani, on the outskirts of Islamabad, led the party to the position of retreat.

The party leadership had the opportunity to get some relief for itself by opening a dialogue with the government when it had succeeded in bringing out thousands of protesters. At least, the release of second tier leadership including Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Dr Yasmin Rashid could have been ensured by withdrawing from the main demand of release of Khan. But Bushra, who is a newcomer in politics, remained stuck to the point of reaching the D-Chowk.

Leaving the injured party workers alone, the former first lady took no time to join the ranks of Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur to flee from the protest venue. While leading the march, she had vowed to stay till her last breath. Earlier, only Gandapur had a reputation of escaping.

The government crackdown that forced the protesters to disperse has also established one thing that from now onward, no political party or group will be in a position to exploit the threat of holding a sit-in at the D-Chowk even if it brings a large crowd with itself.

Politically, the damage has been done and it will take PTI quite some time to recover.