AN attempt by the prime minister, perhaps a tad belated, to mend fences with the PTI has been shot down before it could take flight.

The PTI seems to be in no mood for any talks with the government until its incarcerated workers and leaders, including former PM Imran Khan, have been released by the state. In answer to PM Shehbaz Sharif’s surprise offer for dialogue, made during the Wednesday session in the National Assembly, PTI lawmakers, one after the other, recounted the indignities they had been made to suffer by the state.

Their anger was justified; still, it was an unfortunate response to an otherwise positive development. It now seems the door has closed on the possibility of a quick political breakthrough. The acrid hostility between the government and opposition has festered for too long, and unless one side softens its position, a messy showdown seems inevitable.

In retrospect, the government’s biggest folly was believing that the PTI would eventually break under the same repressive tactics used against its own leaders in the past. However, while these tactics were initially able to cut the PTI to size, the party endured.

Further, the Feb 8 election made clear that the Pakistani citizenry was rallying against the tactics employed by the state. This should have been signal enough for a new government battling for legitimacy to immediately launch the reconciliation process and prevent further victimisation of its political opponents. It chose not to.

To make matters worse, over the past few weeks, at least two different PML-N lawmakers signalled that the government was now considering ‘extending’ Mr Khan’s detention, presumably through freshly fabricated cases. This seemed like a deliberately provocative act by a party that still does not realise it is on very thin ice.

The government should realise that intimidation, coercion and fear tactics have only worsened the political disequilibrium and precipitated even stronger feelings of social unrest. They have also weakened its moral position and emboldened the PTI to dictate terms.

If the prime minister is serious about turning a new page, he must ensure the release of all political prisoners forthwith and make sure the PTI is allowed to function just like any other political party. This simple gesture alone will earn him much-needed goodwill and help create an environment more conducive to talks.

On the other hand, the PTI must not set rigid conditions that may preclude a meaningful dialogue. This country does not ‘belong’ to any particular political entity or political leader: people ascribing to all hues of political opinion should be given equal respect.

Talks must be welcomed and given a fair chance simply because no government can endure in Pakistan without first securing some guarantee from its opponents on political stability.

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2024