IN the midst of the storm triggered by the government’s ill-advised announcement about banning the PTI, there is a ray of hope.

Aide to the prime minister Rana Sanaullah clarified that the decision had yet to be okayed by the cabinet. He reportedly told a local publication late Monday that while the government has not finalised its decision, it saw only two choices before it: talks, or all-out war. Mr Sanaullah regretted the fact that PTI founder Imran Khan had not been amenable to talks.

A day later, Deputy PM Ishaq Dar and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif indicated that the matter would be taken forward in consultation with the government’s allies and parliament. While the government’s stance reflects a paucity of ideas, it is important to note that negotiations and consultation are seemingly not off the table. Before political leaders inflict more damage, they must give talks a chance.

If direct negotiations are not possible, one option the government must consider is to form a parliamentary Committee of the Whole comprising all current lawmakers. The entire gamut of major challenges should be put up for debate before this committee, including security, economic issues and the prevailing socio-political instability. Doing so will help take the attention away from the daily ugliness that defines politics today. It may even provide an opportunity to reset the political narrative: it is unconscionable that all politics is being dominated by the travails and intrigues of a handful of individuals while the masses suffer. Leaders from both sides of the aisle may take the debate as an opportunity to demonstrate to their voters that they are not single-issue politicians; that they are cognisant of the challenges before them and have the capacity and will to work them out.

During this time, the political environment should be improved for there to be constructive engagement between the rival factions. It is the responsibility of the parties in government, as wielders of state power, to create the conditions necessary for constructive talks. It is extremely counterproductive for ministers to come on TV and endorse the ongoing victimisation of political opponents, as there is a very real risk that the short-sighted policies being adopted by various state institutions, which are being celebrated uncritically by the government, may end up sabotaging all hopes for greater ‘istehkam’. Stability can only return when the cycle of violence stops. The government would do well to heed these words.

Meanwhile, the PTI must provide a realistic framework for at least the first few rounds of engagements, which preferably does not involve impossible preconditions. A rigid approach will only extend the party’s needless suffering till the government breaks, while a give-and-take approach may yield better results. Politics should not be reduced to a zero-sum game.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2024