IT is still early days, but there have been several small developments over the past week that, it is hoped, may add up to something bigger in the coming future.

The ice between the government and opposition benches, which began to show signs of a thaw last week, seems to have melted some more over the weekend, and the two factions are apparently in agreement that negotiations can help break the current deadlock. However, it is also becoming clear that there will be some major stumbling blocks.

For one, the PTI clearly does not know what it wants. Over the weekend, its leaders issued conflicting statements regarding whom they want to parley with and what their preconditions are for the talks. It would appear that the party is still seeking a settlement with the establishment, while some of the conditions it has set for the dialogue seem like a very long shot.

There will be progress only when the two factions can differentiate between dialogue and surrender. For example, the PTI may feel it has a moral right to demand its ‘stolen’ seats back from the government, but it cannot expect the latter to simply hand over its leverage in such a manner. The party ought to realise that any talks will only take place within the existing power configuration, even if its legitimacy is up for debate. Its other demand — the release of imprisoned leaders, including Imran Khan — is reasonable and, in fact, the government should consider facilitating this at the earliest.

The inaccessibility of key central leaders is contributing to the confusion within the PTI’s ranks, which will continue to make any talks with it next to impossible. Any negotiation needs to be publicly sanctioned by the PTI founder, even if he does not participate in it himself. Otherwise, it would mean nothing in the eyes of the party’s zealots.

Lastly and most importantly, it would be most disappointing if the PTI repeats the mistake of turning to the establishment instead of negotiating directly with its rivals — something which it is shockingly still not averse to. It is an unfortunate reality of Pakistan’s power politics that every party wants to engage directly with the security establishment.

However, there is an opportunity right now for democratic forces to retake the legislative domain as long as they agree to respect each other. Regardless of how many seats it believes it won, the PTI does not represent every citizen of Pakistan. The other parties are equally legitimate stakeholders in the country’s political future, and it must give them due consideration. The PTI need only look at how the PDM fared in the Feb 8 elections to realise how sour non-political ‘solutions’ to political problems can become.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2024