PAKISTAN is in desperate need of a mediator. The PML-N government ‘strategy’ that is apparently based on a wish to see the PTI protest fizzle out is not working — and will not work.

Already, so much time has been wasted in dilly-dallying by bringing in technicalities and by not properly engaging those who are ready to facilitate a dialogue.

The violence in Faisalabad on Monday is a grim reminder of the unreasonable approach to the resolution of the dispute, just as it is a dire warning about how things could further deteriorate from this point on.

It is unfortunate that individuals on both sides, especially those in the PML-N’s camp since they have a greater responsibility to resolve the crisis by virtue of being in power, are busy solidifying their old position, in shouting rather than reflecting.

Also read: Khursheed Shah says ready to mediate between govt, PTI

The fact that the conflict had brutally extinguished a young life is submerged in the appalling eagerness of politicians to exploit the incident for point-scoring. If for nothing else than respect for the lost life, the emphasis should now be on how best violence can be avoided from here onwards and on finding an acceptable course out of the turmoil.

The PTI made a smart move when its delegation on Tuesday called on the newly appointed chief election commissioner.

The team reiterated its demand for the removal (through resignation) of the other four members of the Election Commission — a call that received impassioned support from the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, the PPP’s Khursheed Shah.

Mr Shah has offered to play the crucial missing link between the PTI and PML-N, a suggestion that would have been all the more meaningful had the PPP understood its potential as a mediator at the outset rather than choosing to play the most vocal defender of the government.

In other words, it is the democratic system’s interests that would have been better served if some of those taking sides had stayed neutral.

The politicians are in a whirl. The current situation is a test of their effectiveness that has been brought into question in the past — fairly or unfairly.

It is about time they put petty politics aside for the moment and concentrated all their energies on finding an answer to a most critical question: who from among their ranks can effectively mediate between the PTI and PML-N and is there still time to do so? Or do we believe that the politicians, having lost the plot, are entirely incapable of even facilitating a process that could lead to a resolution of the current crisis, let alone directly finding a solution?

In any case, it does not matter whether it is the PML-N or the PTI that wins the current round. It is the democratic system that will be dealt a bruising blow if such politics continue.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2014