AT a time when the Government is demonstrating some flexibility in its stance towards dialogue with the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the other side is still not showing the required level of seriousness on the crucial issue despite massive erosion in its bargaining power. Mindless of the fact that over eighty per cent of its leaders have already left the Party and more are in line to announce disassociation, PTI’s Secretary General for Central Punjab Hammad Azhar said on Friday the Party was only interested in talks with the ‘powerful stakeholders’ adding they don’t want to waste time negotiating with ‘puppets’.
These remarks of the former Minister and a senior leader of the Party are reflective of disdain for the real stakeholders in a democratic set up i.e. political parties and the democratic system itself. It was mainly because of this flawed approach that today PTI stands completely isolated and the process continues unabated with no one knowing fully where it would stop. It is strange that instead of engaging with the political forces, PTI wants dialogue with the establishment despite the fact that the establishment has taken an institutional decision to remain apolitical. The PTI chief had constituted a seven-member negotiating team to hold talks with the government—for developing consensus on a date for general election— amid a massive crackdown following 9 May vandalism. After initial rejection, the government showed some flexibility on the issue of dialogue with PTI when Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah lashed out at former Prime Minister Imran Khan over his reluctance to engage in talks with political leaders saying Khan will have to call Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directly and engage in productive discussion instead of focusing on forming committees if he truly desired dialogue. The PTI has to come clean on the issue of dialogue as it was because of its somersaults that it has landed itself into deep trouble. Political analysts believe the PTI would not have experienced the existential threat had it not receded from the course of dialogue which was advancing well when the two sides met to decide about timing of elections. It is still time to acknowledge the ground realities and adopt a realistic approach to tackle the challenges. The party should also shun the tendency of levelling baseless allegations like molestation of women in police custody, a claim vehemently denied by women themselves after their release.
