ISLAMABAD:
The long-awaited breakthrough in the political impasse may finally be within reach as, after months of acrimony and standoffs, the PML-N-led federal government and PTI are set to meet face-to-face on Monday morning (today) in a crucial bid to bridge differences that have fuelled instability in the country for far too long.
The announcement of committees from both sides and their scheduled dialogue has sparked cautious optimism across the nation. Many hope this long-overdue meeting will serve as the cornerstone for political and economic stability.
However, the burning question remains: will the negotiation table bear the weight of the political rivals’ entrenched differences, or will these divides prove insurmountable?
Amid a mix of scepticism and hope, political experts have lauded the move but stressed the need for immediate confidence-building measures. Both sides, they stress, must demonstrate a genuine commitment to stability over stalemate.
They suggest actions such as toning down heated rhetoric and ensuring tangible steps to lower political temperature.
Husain Haqqani, a former Pakistani ambassador and currently a scholar at Washington DC’s Hudson Institute and the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi, noted that the fact that PTI – which had refused to negotiate with the government for two years – was now ready to talk suggested a willingness to compromise.
“That is a far cry from Imran Khan’s previous stand that he can lead a revolution from his prison cell and might help reduce, if not end, the current wave of repression against his supporters,” the ex-envoy said.
Haqqani stressed that Pakistan needs civilian parties to agree on the rules of the political game to break the cycle of various parties alternately siding with the military against each other.
He noted that for there to be a win-win deal, PTI would have to accept the legitimacy of other parties instead of dismissing them as ‘crooks and traitors’.
The ruling parties would have to accept PTI’s concerns about the might of the state being deployed against the party and holding of fair elections, he added.
“But,” he stressed, “PTI would also have to reassure Pakistan’s all-powerful military about ending its threats of violence and its anti-military social media and international lobbying campaign.”
Haqqani noted that the key issue was Imran Khan’s position as the sole decision-maker in PTI, which raised doubts about whether the party’s negotiating team would have the autonomy to broker a resolution to Pakistan’s current instability.
“If the talks lead to a settlement and to stability, everyone will welcome their outcome.”
Meanwhile, political experts such as Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) President Ahmed Bilal Mehboob and Professor Tahir Naeem Malik of NUML University have outlined steps the government and PTI could take to achieve meaningful results.
The PILDAT chief felt that sitting across the table to start a dialogue unconditionally was a positive step toward reducing political tensions.
“I think some confidence-building measures should immediately follow,” Mehboob said, pointing out that “such as stopping use of uncivilised language, declaration of complete dissociation from elements sitting overseas and criticising the military leadership in harsh and obscene language”.
He added that the government should “sincerely consider PTI demands & accommodate them where possible.”
He, however, noted that announcing a civil disobedience movement will destroy the environment of talks; therefore, no such plan should be announced or rather mentioned. “Patience and tolerance are basic requirements of such talks.”
Among other things, Mehboob pointed out that a number of PTI leaders speak for the party, suggesting that PTI founding chairman Imran Khan should authorise one or a maximum of two persons to speak. “Going public with everything during the talks usually wrecks the talks & it should be controlled,” he suggested.
Mehboob, while recalling that Imran Khan had once “vetoed” the decisions reached by his committee in March-April 2023, said he should go along with the people he nominated for talks this time around. “We should extend good wishes for the talks and not over-expect in a short time,” he added.
Professor Malik pointed out that the talks come shortly after military courts convicted and sentenced several individuals involved in the May 9 attacks on civil and military installations. He suggested that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Syed Asim Munir and President Asif Ali Zardari could remit these punishments, considering the changing tone of PTI’s leadership.
“The army chief and the president both have the power to pardon sentences,” Professor Malik said, adding if they use their powers to remit sentences as they do on Eid and other occasions then that will be “a huge thing”.
Malik added that the National Assembly speaker can also play his role and help award reserved seats to PTI as a goodwill gesture.
He also suggested that releasing political prisoners other than those wanted or standing trial in May 9 cases can also be considered to create a favourable environment for talks.
The talk about talks between the ruling PML-N and opposition PTI had started after Khan had constituted a committee to negotiate with the government. However, the opportunity was soon embroiled in a dispute as leaders from both sides not only started chiding each other but linked talks with certain conditions.
The experts feel that the beginning of formal talks is a turning point and all efforts must be made to calm down the restive political scene and bridge divides instead of breaking apart.
