How sincere is Nawaz’s dialogue offer?

The Saturday meeting of the PML-N’s top brass ended on an unusual note, as party president Nawaz Sharif proposed that all political parties, governments, and institutions should make collective decisions to provide relief to the masses.

However, party leaders quickly clarified after the meeting that there would be no talks with PTI founder Imran Khan until he apologizes for the May 9 riots.

Surprisingly, the proposal for across-the-board dialogue involving all political parties, governments, and powerful stakeholders to bring much-needed political and economic stability to the country conveyed a message that it was more about excluding incarcerated Imran Khan and his party from the equation.

Political commentators questioned whether such conditional offers could even bring all parties to the negotiating table, let alone achieve broader goals and objectives.

Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) President Ahmed Bilal Mehboob noted that the apparent contradiction in the statements of PML-N leaders represented “a genuine difference of opinion.”

“There can always be more than one opinion on a subject within parties. However, PML-N President Nawaz Sharif hasn’t added any ifs and buts to his proposal, which the party leadership later attached,” the PILDAT chief said. “Even if we accept the offer for the sake of argument, only talks can help find a way out of such conditions and logjams.”

Mehboob said the PTI should respond positively to the offer of talks, as it could help defuse the PML-N’s anti-PTI stance. He said political leaders could always find a way out of deadlocks if they sat together, suggesting they could even negotiate when and how such conditions could be accepted, if at all, or altered.

When asked whether the PTI-led K-P government could enter into such conditional talks, Mehboob reiterated that the logjam could only be resolved if both sides sat together and talked.

He also referred to the May 9 condition, noting that the army expects the civilian government to present and fight its case effectively, as the army is unhappy with the barrage of criticism against it on social media in the wake of the PTI’s confrontation with the institution and its top brass.

On May 9, 2023, installations of the security establishment were attacked, allegedly by enraged PTI activists and supporters, after paramilitary Rangers arrested Imran for the first time from the premises of the Islamabad High Court in connection with a corruption case.

At that time, the PTI had declared that arresting Imran would be tantamount to crossing the party’s red line. Following the attacks on its installations, including the martyrs’ memorials, the military declared May 9 as a “Black Day,” describing it as a “dark chapter” in the country’s history.

The PTI, however, claimed that the May 9 mayhem was a “false-flag operation” and blamed the security establishment for it, leading to the current stalemate.

Professor Tahir Naeem Malik of NUML University noted that this was Nawaz’s second appearance in recent days, saying that he has reactivated himself and wishes to stay relevant by making pro-people statements and offering solutions to complex problems.

“Political deadlock is a big issue, and he [Nawaz] wants to see it resolved,” the professor said. “Nawaz doesn’t hold any portfolio, but he wishes to play the role of a national leader.”

Commenting on the differing stances of PML-N leaders on talks with the PTI, Professor Malik said those opposing dialogue feel that the PML-N is not yet popular enough, and the coalition government’s rule, based on a split mandate, must continue without interruption.

Additionally, they do not want to give any opening to the PTI, especially when it is close to powerful stakeholders.

“The PTI’s current situation is like a fish out of water, and the PML-N wishes to keep things that way.” He said that the elder Sharif’s talk offer is to keep things on record for the future.

Referring to recent meetings among key political players, Malik said the political situation could improve if Nawaz, President Asif Ali Zardari, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PkMAP chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai, and others, put genuine efforts into resolving the political stalemate. “The genuineness of the talk offer remains to be seen depending on how it is followed up,” he said.