No doubt, the brutal massacre of schoolchildren in Peshawar united our disparate political parties in demanding and agreeing to a decisive action against the terrorists. But did they also bury their hatchets to battle the terrorists united? It seems not.

After the All-Parties Conference (APC) held in Peshawar, that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had called for the day after the tragedy, Imran Khan, summoned a meeting of the core committee of his Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and told it that he wanted to call off the party’s protest dharna, going on in Islamabad for 126 days.

Sources in the PTI say Khan’s suggestion puzzled the committee members. Some hailed it as “statesman-like thinking” while others doubted ending the record sit-in will serve the party’s interests in the long run. Still others rejected the idea outright, but in whispers.

Eventually, the massive tragedy weighed on the core committee and it decided to wrap up the protest.

That decision, perhaps, helped the prime minister assure the PTI leadership twice - at the Peshawar APC and the subsequent one held in Islamabad on December 24 - that he would address their concerns regarding the setting up of an independent judicial commission to probe results of 2013 general elections.

A majority in the PTI thought that with the military leadership directly involved in the APCs, it would not be easy for the PML-N government to go back on the assurances.

“I still believe that the government has no option but to listen to us. Our return to street politics is the last thing the military leadership would want in the way of its National Action Plan against terrorism,” a top PTI leader argued.

After agitating at D-Chowk and staging rallies all over the country sitting quiet isn’t an option for the party, he said, claiming “now the pressure is on the government”.

By reneging on his commitment to the PTI that a judicial commission determines electoral fraud, Nawaz Sharif would only be strengthening the view that the PML-N leadership was never interested in “a fair investigation”, said the PTI leader who has good contacts with Imran Khan.

His colleague, holding a senior position in the party, sounded threatening when he said that “if the military leadership wants us to remain peaceful, they have to ask the PML-N leaders to listen to us, and we aren’t asking something in violation of the Constitution.”

But it could be just bluster as the PTI has shed even taller demands like the prime minister’s resignation and an unending dharna.

In the three meetings they held during the last week, the PTI and government negotiators failed to reach an agreement over the Terms of References of the proposed judicial commission.

According to PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the government side wanted a “toothless commission”, whereas, his party wants an “effective audit of the election” by the proposed commission.

Now the party’s core committee has been convened for January 6 to decide the next move if a judicial commission to its satisfaction is not agreed to by that date.

The conflict between the two sides is over the government wanting the commission to deal with cases of rigging at constituency level, whereas the PTI contends if rigging is proved in selected constituencies, government should call fresh general elections.  

Thus the resolution of the conflict hangs between PTI hopes of squeezing a deal of its choice and the government mortified of losing all if the proposed commission proved rigging even in a few selected constituencies.

A senior government minister privy to talks with the PTI feels Imran Khan wants the PML-N to axe its own feet.

“It is so unreal,” he said. “How come rigging proved on 10, 20 or 30 seats lead to discrediting the entire electoral exercise?”

According to him the government is open to reelection in as many constituencies as the suggested commission determines rigging or gross mismanagement of election took place.

“But to demand that the government should go home is unreal and unfair,” he added.

A top government official actively involved in the National Action Plan against terrorism agreed that the military leadership may turn the final arbiter.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2015