This has to be one of the longest stand-offs in the history of the capital and as reactions go, its impact has been felt far and wide. The Supreme Court has taken note of the difficulties faced by commuters, and in other evidence of how greatly life has been disturbed, on Friday there was news of a further extension of the summer holidays for schools in Islamabad until Aug 31.

These reports point to the seriousness of the situation today as well as to the fear that the problem will persist. It is a tricky task indeed to find a balance between the rights of the protesters and those of others, including the latter’s right to free movement, and to ensure that these are not infringed upon. Good sense must prevail even for rules to be effective but so far this quality appears to be in short supply.

Whereas it is reassuring that both the government and the protesters have been staying away from violence in their confrontation, the capital’s predicament, which has repercussions all over the country and beyond, has to be one of the most damning examples of our inability to overcome troubles rationally and without wasting precious time and sullying our reputation.

The stand-off is affecting the country’s engagements with the outside world as well. A few days ago, the finance minister said that the IMF had cancelled its visit to the country due to security concerns. The presidents of the Maldives and Sri Lanka, too, have put off their visits because of the prevailing turmoil. This was the second time in the space of a few months that the Maldivian leader decided not to risk coming to Pakistan.

He was earlier scheduled to arrive in June, but the tour was aborted after the militant attack on Karachi airport. If this were not enough, perhaps even more significant is the ‘cancellation’ of the visit by the Sri Lankan president, who has time and again showed himself keen to develop a relationship with Pakistan.

The Chinese president, too, was slated to visit either in late August or early September but doubts have been raised about whether he will come. Should the crisis not dissipate soon and should he decide to give Pakistan a miss for the time being, it will be a real blow to the country given the nature and scale of the cooperation between Pakistan and China at the moment.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2014