Time to talk?

There is no rest for the people and politics of Pakistan and, with Eid now over, the country and its politics is sure to go right back into overdrive. Not that Eid came in the way of political statements, pesky 'audio leaks', or revelations-that-weren't. For one, PTI Chairman Imran Khan has said that he had given the mandate of negotiations to his party’s Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi but that no one from the PDM coalition has as yet approached Qureshi. The PTI Chairman has also – once again – named the former COAS, now alleging that he had dissolved the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies after having been advised by General Bajwa to do so. Meanwhile, continuing the unsavoury tradition of 'leaks', the chief justice's family seems to be the target this time, his mother-in-law's private conversation having been leaked over the weekend.

Talks, as the past year has shown, are probably the most difficult thing for Pakistani politicians to manage. So much so that last week, even Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial had said that the Supreme Court could make some room and change the date of elections if all the political parties evolved a consensus to hold a dialogue – something legal experts had said went beyond the court's mandate. On the political front, where the PPP has welcomed a political dialogue, there is a feeling that the PML-N is not too keen on initiating a dialogue with Imran Khan. PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz has certainly not been afraid to air her opinion on this, tweeting that talks are held with political parties, not with those who 'spread terror'. PDM President Maulana Fazlur Rehman went one step ahead and openly opposed a dialogue with the PTI. This is all rather unfortunate. Ever since the coalition government came to power after a successful vote of no-confidence, there had been gentle suggestions by political observers of all ideological bends that a dialogue was the only way forward to end the political uncertainty in the country. But, high on a very successful 'cipher narrative', Imran Khan and his party had refused to even entertain the possibility of talking to the 'imported government'. With a change in narrative this year, the PTI seems to have softened its stance somewhat. Given the past year, and the lightning speed at which the PTI produces narratives and spin, it is understandable that the coalition government does not trust this new attempt at overtures. This obstinance may also be coming from a boost of confidence within government circles that, while Imran may be popular (and there is little denying he is), he has not been able to achieve what he had set out to do. They think that talking to Khan means giving him a face-saving opportunity.

It is also interesting that Imran has now decided that even dissolving the assemblies was on Gen Bajwa’s advice when his own party and supporters have been celebrating the dissolution as a ‘masterstroke’ by their leader. That said, this week is sure to produce a whole new set of judicial edicts, political spin, and counterspin. Some pre-Eid lessons we hope our country's movers and shakers should have realized by now: Imran should have realized long ago that isolating himself like this may not pay the political dividends his advisers seemed to tell him it would. The coalition government should have realized that the VoNC was just the start of grueling time in government, the ever-enthusiastic 'leakers' should have realized by now that people are truly over being shocked by leaked audios, and the judiciary should have realized that wading into a political battle will only dent its own credibility. It is time for talks. But to the question: are we really there yet? – the answer is truly somewhere in the wind.