THEY waited for nothing. The PTI, making good on its threat to boycott the fourth round of negotiations between the opposition and the ruling parties, remained a no-show at the Tuesday session.

The government committee waited for about 45 minutes before the meeting was finally called off. It is hoped that this does not prove to be the end of the line for the process. National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, whose office has been hosting the negotiations, graciously left a door open for the PTI, expressing hope that it would realise that talks were still the only way forward.

However, the spokesperson for the government in the committee, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, had earlier taken a harder line over the weekend, warning that the dialogue would be called off if the PTI’s representatives did not show up for the meeting. Similarly, the PTI had shown rigidity in making the fulfilment of its demands a precondition for its attendance.

It is a shame that what had initially seemed to be a genuine attempt to solve problems with talks fizzled out thus. Both sides certainly lived up to their worst expectations of each other: the PTI exhibited fickleness by withdrawing suddenly and prematurely from the process, while the government demonstrated ill intent by first dragging its feet and then allowing a raid on the opposition committee spokesperson’s house.

Indeed, the outcome was always what had seemed to be the most likely one, even if it was not hoped for. It can only be prayed that both sides realise their errors and make amends to salvage the process. If they think bravado can hide the fact that they are individually weakened and need a breakthrough, they are mistaken. The two sides can continue to play their political cat-and-mouse games, but they will likely come full circle.

It had earlier been noted that the negotiations would have trouble continuing as long as the bigwigs from each party were not directly involved. Second- or third-tier leaders alone cannot take talks forward. They need a constant line of communication with their party’s leaders to discuss possibilities and get approvals.

In this case, the PTI’s negotiating team should have been allowed free access to Imran Khan, which it was not. It is strange that the government remained reluctant to facilitate their meetings and still expected a positive outcome from the talks.

There is no shaking off the growing impression that an entire country is being held hostage by the egos of a few powerful individuals. Bad laws continue to be enacted to prolong the status quo, and bad decisions keep delaying the possibility of a turnaround. This will have deeply negative effects on the health of the country for years to come.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2025