IT was encouraging to hear from a PML(N) stalwarts Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Khawaja Saad Rafiq have declared intention of their party to initiate a grand dialogue with all parties. Addressing a ceremony on Sunday, Ayaz Sadiq said that PML-N neither wishes to take revenge from anyone nor believes in the idea of throwing political opponents behind bars. He said “Saad Rafiq and I will reach out to the leader of each party to invite them for a grand dialogue in the larger interest of the country.”
The announcement is in line with the overall track record of PML(N) and, therefore, one can legitimately expect that after assuming power, the party would take practical steps towards realization of this noble objective. Mr Sadiq said he would plead before the National Assembly Speaker to make all parties sit together and expressed the hope that all parties would join hands for the sake of the country, which can no longer bear politics of polarization. As there are all indications that Sardar Ayaz Sadiq might be elected as Speaker of the National Assembly as nominee of the PML(N), he will have an opportunity to translate his dream into reality with the active input and collaboration of other political parties. The task is not daunting as far as the approach of the PML(N) is considered as its top leadership, on different occasions, made it repeatedly clear that it would prefer taking all parties on board for the sake of the country. In fact, during his stint as Prime Minister of the Coalition Government, President of the party Shehbaz Sharif extended an olive branch to the opposition on various occasions but his gestures were not reciprocated by the other side. Now again, both the PML(N) and the PPP (two major component parties of the future setup) want a working relationship with all parties. In fact, as confirmed by the PPP leader Syed Khurshid Shah, the PPP gave first preference to the PTI for the formation of the Government but the offer was declined by the latter. There is complete unanimity of views among all patriotic Pakistanis that a Grand National dialogue was the need of the hour in view of the challenges facing the country in the realm of politics as well as economy. The country has effective and workable strategies to resolve the challenges but polarization remains the main stumbling block in realization of this objective. We hope that all parties would learn from their past mistakes and prefer to engage into a dialogue to sort out issues than remaining perpetually at war with one another.
