THE Independence Day festivities have stirred something long thought to have been dormant within our political class.

Addressing the main event held to mark Independence Day, which, for some undisclosed reason, was organised on the eve of Aug 14, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif invited “all” political parties to become part of the Misaq-i-Istehkam-i-Pakistan, or the compact for Pakistan’s stability.

The latest in a series of ‘compacts’ sought by the political class, this agreement, according to the prime minister, would let the world know that “[political] differences have their own place but we are all one for the sake of our beloved Pakistan”. The prime minister wished for the country to move on from political divisions, leave aside personal interests and reject empty slogans to “adopt collective thinking for Pakistan”. These were noble thoughts, befitting an auspicious occasion.

If only the prime minister had not followed up with a thinly veiled diatribe against “fitnas” who “riot and vandalise” to “defame and curse and rebel against the state”. It seemed that the prime minister made an attempt to muster up magnanimity, but failed.

Two days earlier, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq set a much better example. In an attempt to mollify the opposition, which had been prepared to boycott another sitting of the National Assembly, the Speaker offered to facilitate talks between the government and the opposition.

To demonstrate good faith, he even nominated Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry and PPP MNA Syed Naveed Qamar to the government team that would engage with the opposition. Stressing that dialogue was the only way to resolve political differences and bridge the divide between the two camps, he urged the opposition to continue engaging with the government on issues that mattered. To his credit, the law minister, too, echoed the Speaker’s words.

Meanwhile, the PTI had a rethink about its plans to turn Aug 14 into another day of protest. The party chairman, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, announced on Tuesday that the PTI would eschew its planned agitation in favour of celebrating the day of independence.

Though the announcement got lost somewhere in the noise, it marked a significant shift in the party’s narrative. The question naturally arises: why did the PTI forego a good occasion to make some fuss and decide to de-escalate instead?

There have been some rumblings about the impatience of influential quarters to see a political compromise being worked out. One can only hope the political class has realised it has been skating on thin ice. Civilians are, after all, civilians — quickly swept aside once they have served their purpose. It would be prudent, in such circumstances, for them to band together. Perhaps they should make a greater effort to come to a mutual understanding.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2025