IT seems the political temperature in the federal capital fell by quite a few degrees this weekend. After weeks of fire and fury, which seems to have culminated this Saturday in a slate of fresh convictions for the PTI’s senior leadership, Sunday saw leaders from both sides of the political divide regretting where things stand and ruminating on the possibility of talks.

Both sides seemingly agree that a negotiated compromise is the only way out of the socio-legal-political morass they have managed to drag the country into. There is no denying the logic of that suggestion. But there is a strong sense of déjà vu regarding its timing. Last year, too, there had been similar talk about negotiations and the need thereof as the year was about to close. There had even been some hope — more than there is now, for certain — that the ice may finally break and we may see a long-awaited resolution.

Instead, the effort had all but collapsed before the first month of 2025 was out. What followed was another round of vindictive, scorched-earth politics that, before the end of the year, had left the country saddled with the 27th Amendment. At no point in this latest bout of skirmishing did either side look like it was winning.

Indeed, their vendetta, ongoing since 2022, has only created losers so far. It would now seem that this fact has never been lost on the stakeholders — otherwise, they would not still be discussing talks as the “only way out”. But one wishes it were that simple. Unfortunately, both factions forgot, at key moments, that even when one is fighting, they must leave room for a retreat. Both sides have, by now, said and done many things which have made it increasingly difficult for them to extricate themselves from the present crisis.

The opposition parties have now floated the idea of a new Charter of Democracy, and senior PML-N leaders are also backing calls for a political dialogue. Now is as good a time as any to give it another go. But with so much baggage on both sides, nothing less than a sweeping revision of the rules of engagement may do. A formal reset is the only possible motivation for both sides to bury the past.

The ruling parties are responsible for making the first move by virtue of holding more power. They must consider easing some of the difficulties faced by the opposition. The opposition parties, too, have a responsibility not to make rapprochement efforts more difficult than they need to be. Their inflexible preconditions in the past have unravelled the negotiation process well before anything substantial could be achieved. Both sides must remain within the bounds of reason and approach this with sincerity. Much depends on it.

Published in Dawn, December 23rd, 2025