SKEPTICISM was there about the fruitful conclusion of the ongoing dialogue process between the negotiating teams of the Government and the opposition Pakistan Tehreekk-e-Insaf (PTI) but the latest positions of the two sides cast dark shadows on prospects of their successful culmination. The latter has come out with two new demands inclusion of a representative of the establishment in the talks (terming them as real decision-making powers) and unhindered access to the PTI founding Chairman and other incarnated leaders of the party for consultation on the dialogue process. Reacting, the Government side has expressed surprise and utter dismay over the demand made by former Speaker Asad Qaiser about inclusion of the Establishment in the negotiations. Spokesperson of the Government committee Senator Irfan Siddiqui also warned that the ongoing talks could face significant challenges due to the PTIs failure to submit its demands in writing as initially agreed.
There was no doubt that the PTI from the very beginning of the political crisis wanted dialogue only with the Establishment and showed no interest in talking to the Government but its decision to engage in talks with the Government was widely hailed as it offered an opportunity to help ease political tension. Otherwise too, the Establishment too indicated on a number of occasions that it was apolitical and talks could only be held with the Government. In fact, this consistent position of the Establishment forced the PTI to talk to the Government but its latest U-turn could derail the entire process. As pointed out by a prominent member of the Government negotiating team Raja Parvez Ashraf, the Establishment is part and parcel of the Government and surely it will be taken on board but the insistence to formally include its representative in the talks might not be acceptable to the other side for obvious reasons and repercussions. Another hiccup in the progress of the dialogue is inability of the PTI to present its demands in black and white, perhaps due to the apprehensions that the demands might be dubbed as an effort to seek NRO from the government, an impression with political fallout for the party. As for new demands, it is rightly believed that preconditions pollute the environment and instead the two sides should hold intensive dialogue on substantive issues and formalize their understanding, when arrived at, in a written form. The PTI may not suspect decision-making powers of the Government as implementation of the understanding will itself make things clear. Save the process of talks for the sake of the country and its people as continuous political tension is suicidal.
