or the time being, nobody can claim if the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf`s Azadi March and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek`s Inqilab March will succeed or not but it is sure that the two parties have drawn full attention of the people, who are analysing their possible impacts on the country`s overall political situation.

Whatever the results such marches will produce but it is certain that the two parties have fully mobilised their activists from ward, tehsil and district levels to the national level. The remaining parties seem inactive in the field and are keeping an eye on the current situation arising out of the PTI and PAT marches. Many of these parties are still busy in intra-party elections with leaders focusing energies on securing key party offices.

The PML-N has tried to counter the PTI movement with various Independence Day functions to be continued until the end of the month (August) but it has yet to put up an impressive show.

The PTI workers believe whatever their leadership is saying is right and they are sure the nation will see the `change` very soon.

However, many of them are not happy with the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and are of the view that they could not seen any change in the fate of people despite passage of about one and a half year.

Some of them accuse the bureaucracy of creating hurdles in the way of development and progress. However, provincial information minister Mushtaq Ghani rejected the charge as baseless and misleading.

`We have approved 32 laws of various natures and implemented them in addition to bringing a change in the police system,` the minister told Dawn on Friday.

He said his government had given funds tomembers of the provincial assembly for develop-mental schemes in their respective areas with clear cut directives tomamtam transparency.

According to him, the government has taken a clear stand against corruption and stopped misuse of powers by lawmakers and the government officials.

`Transfers and postings have been made on the basis of merit and that action has been taken against hundreds of policemen misusing powers. The people will soon feel a change in the entire system in the province.

On the other hand, the leaders of rival political parties are of the opinion that PTI is just misleading the nation and the countrymamtam transparency.

According to him, the government has taken a clear stand against corruption and stopped misuse of powers by lawmakers and the government officials.

`Transfers and postings have been made on the basis of merit and that action has been taken against hundreds of policemen misusing powers. The people will soon feel a change in the entire system in the province.

On the other hand, the leaders of rival political parties are of the opinion that PTI is just misleading the nation and the countrycould not afford such long marches at a timewhen democracy has yet to strengthen its roots.

Awami National Party Khyber Pakhtunkhwa general secretary and former provincial information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain insisted the PTI and the PAT were trying to derail democracy otherwise they would have never demanded resIgnation of an elected prime minister.

He said the long marches had drawn attention of the entire nation, while the media was giving full coverage to it to the agony to the people.

According to him, rest of the parties are holding activities but they are not given the due coverage.

`Terrorist acts like Thursday blasts in Quetta took place but the media focused on the long marches.

Hussain feared after the PTI and PAT long marches, terrorists would start the worst type of target attacks to the surprise of the people.

`My party is not satisfied with the law and order situation because the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan is still active and claimed responsibility for the latest sabotage acts in Quetta,` he said and added that the military operation inNorth Waziristan Agency will certainly have its impact but the terrorists have stopped reaction for the time being due to the long marches.

`The PTI march is also a step towards the TTP agenda of destruction and instability in the country. We believe the long marches will have very negative impact on the overall political situation and democratic institutions,` the ANP leader said asking Imran to wait with patience until the next elections are held.

Similarly, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl provincial information secretary Maulana Abdul Jalil Jan said his party had focused attention on the intraparty elections and it would announce a schedule of six-month activities once the process of elections was completed.

He said the people had no interests with the long marches and protest demonstrations because they wanted the government to initiate schemes of development and progress in the neglected areas. The political parties, he said had difference of opinion with the government but it did not mean that they would launch long march-es to pave way for martial laws.

`Had the PTI leadership any reservations about the transparency of last general elections it was supposed to raise voice timely instead of forming government in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. We are of the view that Imran should tender resignation from the assemblies first and then launch a campaign against the government so that the general public will also accept his version,` the JUI leader said.

The JUI-F leader said his party was not satisfied with the law and order situation because the cases of extortion, kidnapping for ransom, target killing, street crimes were continued unabated and the government had no planning to overcome the situation.`How can we believe that operation Zarb-i-Azb is successful when the people were not allowed to see the bodies of the foreign terrorists and leadership of the militants? We still believe that the terrorists are still live and could target any place and person at their free will,` he feared urging the government to show bodies to the nation if high profile-terrorists had been killed in the operation.

Pakistan People`s Party provincial general secretary and former finance minister Engineer Mohammad Hamayun Khan said his party would not support any step against democracy but it did not mean to block roads and gag voice of the people and political parties.

He said in a democratic state, it was basic right of everyone to express views according to constitution, saying the last PPP-led government was glaring example for the leadership of Pakistan Muslim League-N which had given free hand to all the parties and thus PAT had also observed sit-in in Islamabad with no official resistance.

Pakistan Muslim League-N provincial spokesman Nasir Khan Musazai said PTI had badly failed to cause any harm to the federal government because the nation knew designs of Imran Khan against democracy. `My party can form government in the province within days but it believes in democratic norms to give chance to PTI so that it will deliver,` he said.

The PML-N leader said the people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa did not respond to the long march because the government during its one and a half year tenure did not do anything for public welfare.

A leader of the Qaumi Watan Party said his party had avoided activities due to various reasons including intra-party elections, Ramazan and now focused attention on the long marches.

Jamaat-i-Islami information secretary Israrullah Khan claimed it was his party that continued various activities without break even in the month of Ramazan.

He said his party would never support undemocratic steps, saying JI emir Sirajul Haq had played vital role to defuse the political tension and resolve the issues.

The PML-Q leaders including provincial president Intikhab Khan Chamkani could not be contacted on phone.