Need to get back to talks

With political instability taking new swings, it is the government that is to be blamed this time around. The beleaguered ruling dispensation seems unwilling to oblige the opposition. The PTI, having refused to attend the third session of talks, scheduled to take place on January 28, has posted a tougher line of action. It had made it categorically clear that formation of judicial commissions to inquire into the May 9 and November 26 incidents is a prerequisite for getting along, and simultaneously ironing out other differences in the political and governance texture.

Had the government taken a leaf in sagacity, it would have opted for the judicial path to not only cool down the opposition, but also to reflect that it means retribution over issues of challenging the writ of the state. It also goes without saying that the ruling coalition and the powers-that-be were on the same page in bringing to book the hooligans, and missing this opportunity in the wider context of political rapprochement is disappointing.

An instant reaction from the PTI to change its comrades at the helm in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab by bringing in proven loyalists, known as 'hardliners', will come as a challenge. The elevation of Junaid Akbar and Aliya Hamza in the two provinces as top negotiators will surely change the tone of interaction, making it more of an uphill task to find a middle ground for the government. Former PM Imran Khan, known for setting new fields, has raised the bar - something which is an indication of brinkmanship in a party that feels being pushed to the wall. Even saner voices such as chairman Ali Gohar Khan are feeling the heat, and pointing a finger at the coalition for not living up to the expectations of a thaw.

With the PTI gearing up for a new agitation campaign, as a year to ballot (February 8) is round the corner, the government must revisit its stance and offer an olive branch. The bourses are taking a dip for the last several days, and renewed volatility in politics could make it worse.