Imbibe culture of talks

The stalemate in the corridors of power can only be addressed through a dialogue among stakeholders. While politics is an art of the impossible, the onus is on political leaders across the board to create a culture of talking it out, rather than messing up among themselves. The necessity for such a grand national dialogue was rightly underscored by PML-N leader and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, as he said that dialogue is the only way to solve the myriad issues the country is facing.

There cannot be any argument over it, and Abbasi has stopped the buck at Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s door by urging him to lead from the front. One hopes there are takers of this sagacious piece of advice in an earnest endeavour to scale down tensions, and remap a strategy to help retain the beleaguered representative form of government from being derailed. Such initiatives in the previous weeks were evident from the PPP, as well as the opposition PTI stalwarts.

Even former PM Imran Khan has reciprocated a similar gesture for talks from PM Shehbaz, but the euphoric momentum was short-lived for reasons of self-serving political compulsions. Abbasi’s stress for a dialogue could not have come at a more opportune moment. The PDM coalition is in defiance with the superior judiciary, and is in no mood to hold the constitutionally-mandated elections in Punjab and KhyberPakhtunkhwa. This is a tipping moment for democracy, and any untoward clash of state organs will surely have its toll. Politicians in Pakistan have had their field day while indulging in mud-slinging, and pushing each other to the wall by maneuvering state power.

This has been across the board, and with no exceptions. This aspect had emboldened not only extra-democratic forces to infringe on their territory but also led to weakening the writ of constitutional parameters. It’s time for public representatives to imbibe the culture of talking, and learn to operate under the ambit of law. Reigniting pluralism and opting for issue-oriented politics is the way to go. No point in hitting the hammer on one’s own feet.