IT appears that ‘dialogue’ is fast becoming a buzzword in the federal capital. After both the treasury and opposition benches signalled their openness to negotiations, others have jumped into the fray.

The newly formed so-called National Dialogue Committee hosted its own event in the federal capital this Wednesday to discuss the possible pathways to reconciliation. The committee, led by estranged PTI leaders Fawad Chaudhry, Imran Ismail and Dr Shahzad Waseem, concluded its deliberations with a call for the release of all political prisoners as a way to lower temperatures.

There were several other leaders present at the conference, including former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former Karachi mayor Waseem Akhtar, ex-PTI leader Sher Afzal Marwat, and Jamaat-i-Islami’s Liaquat Baloch, among others. But while these leaders may have arrived with the right intentions, they lack the clout to make any real difference.

There is, of course, no harm in hosting events like these. The conference, for example, came up with the suggestion that the government and opposition may negotiate with each other through their respective ‘dialogue committees’. It even named the government panel, nominating President Asif Ali Zardari, PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while leaving the opposition team to the recommendations of the PTI’s jailed leadership.

But though the suggestion sounds positive on paper, it remains a non-starter given the prevailing political climate, which all but precludes any possibility of the political leadership sitting down at the same table with the opposition. It was telling that the opposition’s main alliance, the TTAP, stayed away from the NDC conference, as did the government and its allied parties. The NDC also misjudged by suggesting various preconditions for the start of negotiations, such as the release of prisoners. Durable solutions only come from dialogue without any strings attached, yet many keep missing this point.

The very next day, it became clear how deep the chasm still is between the rival camps, when Punjab Police was accused of arresting political workers by various opposition parties ahead of the TTAP’s announced ‘mobilisation drive’ in Lahore. The reports started emerging while a TTAP convoy, led by its chairman, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, was en route from Islamabad to the Punjab capital. The affected parties were quick to call out the Punjab government and PML-N leadership, and it appeared that the apparent easing of tensions witnessed in recent days may have evaporated amidst the chaos.

It remains to be seen whether the ruling parties will attempt to smoothen things, but what has become clear is that the path to any negotiations is as uncertain and fraught with difficulties as before. Till an effort by both sides is genuinely attempted, initiatives like the NDC conference will amount to little more than headlines.

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2026