Need to talk it out

The PTI is keeping its cards close to the chest. With Rawalpindi now being the theatre of political activism, as rallies from across the country submerge at the intersection of the twin-cities, it is a nail-biting situation for the government which finds itself clueless to the core. The party, which has been in an agitation mode since it was ousted in April, has written to the Islamabad administration seeking permission for copter’s landing and take-off from Parade Ground in the capital, in an attempt to facilitate former prime minister Imran Khan’s commutation, as well as a mass sit-in in Rawalpindi. This conjoins to a supra-street activity and with hundreds and thousands expected to pour out, it makes a perfect issue of politicking by upping the stakes.

The weeks-long rallies and public meetings of the PTI are in demand for fresh general elections. The culmination point at the federal capital, on November 26, has come at a critical juncture. The induction of a new army chief will be merely a day away as the PTI rallies march on Islamabad, and it signals a moment of extreme instability for a beleaguered government. Coupled with this is the economic fragility and the unrest among masses owing to the price spiral, sending shivers down the spine. The coalition government is in a catch-22 situation and it will surely find itself in a perplexed mode for using state machinery at a moment when power transition in one of the major national institutions is underway.

With the PTI willing to climb down the ladder on a one-point conditionality of announcing polls, it’s time for the government and the powers-that-be to put reason to test over exigency. Engaging Khan in a meaningful dialogue is the only way out. Time to take a call in rationality before it gets late. It will be a blessing in disguise for the battered economy and sordid political environment. Ushering in stability by cajoling political players for a constitutionally-ordained solution is indispensable.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 23^rd, 2022.

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