THE Government, on Monday, once again expressed its readiness for dialogue but the offer seemed to be non-serious as conditions attached to it would apparently be unacceptable to the opposition. Speaking to the media along with Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry and Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz said dialogue would be held only with serious-minded leadership of the opposition sans Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Maryam Nawaz.
There is a consensus among neutral analysts about the urgent need for a national dialogue but the cherished goal would remain a far off cry until and unless there is a ceasefire both by the Government and the opposition. Offers or efforts for dialogue would be construed as just lip-service if these are accompanied by moves to tone down rhetoric to create a salutary environment for meaningful talks. Similarly, what objective the dialogue would serve if two most vocal leaders representing two important components of PDM are left out of the process. Though the Federal Ministers have claimed that national dialogue is part of politics and the forum for such a dialogue is parliament, adding that Maryam and Fazal would be excluded from the process as they are not members of Parliament but it is understood that reservations about them were based on their hard stance and bitter remarks made during speeches delivered to the opposition rallies and that is why we have been emphasizing the need for an end to politics of accusations and finger-raising. It became all the more evident when, reacting to the offer of the Government, the opposition leaders said the Government will have to go at all costs. While Maulana Fazlur Rehman termed the Government as ‘illegitimate’, Maryam Nawaz ruled out talks with ‘looters of public mandate, sugar, flour, electricity, gas and medicines’. There is hardly any possibility of any dialogue if conditions are attached to it and electoral reforms are proposed as the only agenda item for talks leaving other issues being agitated by the opposition aside. The exclusion of Fazal, who is head of PDM and Maryam Nawaz, who practically heads PML(N) would make mockery of the dialogue as it would be dialogue on Afghan conflict without inclusion of Taliban. The approach of ‘bad’ and ‘good’ Taliban has not worked in Afghanistan where both the United States and the Afghan Government ultimately have to talk to real Taliban representatives and, therefore, should not be replicated for resolution of the political crisis in Pakistan.
