Empty overtures

EARLIER this week, the prime minister had extended yet another invitation to the opposition for negotiations, noting that “it takes two to tango”. “I once again invite the opposition for talks […] to support Pakistan’s economic progress and to strengthen democracy,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was quoted as saying. “Now it’s on them how soon they agree to constructive dialogue.”

The ‘offer’ echoed a statement made days earlier by Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry in the Senate, in which he told the opposition that “the solution lies in seriousness”. That same day, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and Mr Chaudhry had met the opposition leaders of the Senate and the National Assembly. The two sides discussed the appointment of the chief election commissioner, as well as the political situation and political matters, according to a press statement issued by the opposition TTAP alliance.

Yet, if earlier efforts at engagement are anything to go by, little hope can be attached to this latest initiative. The government has also made the possibility of talks more complicated by mishandling a Supreme Court order to have former PM Imran Khan medically examined. Its actions have only increased bitterness in Mr Khan’s party, the PTI, and emboldened those elements within it who are more inclined to push for confrontation. Meanwhile, the government’s most important coalition partner, the PPP, has started courting the opposition for support for its own agenda, which includes blocking the government’s legislative activities. Another formidable opposition force, the JUI-F, has since entered the picture and is signalling that it will join hands with the opposition alliance to challenge the government. These developments do not point towards any inclination for a sit-down.

To cap it off, the PML-N itself does not seem to be on the same page. The Punjab chief minister on Friday fired a fresh salvo at the PPP and PTI, accusing one of corruption and the other of spreading anarchy. This signals a disconnect between the different tiers of the PML-N, whose senior leaders appear more amenable to rapprochement than the younger lot. It is clear, then, that there is currently no clear path to a national dialogue, no matter what leaders appear to say. And yet, talks still seem to be the best way forward for all political stakeholders. The civilian leadership must realise that, whatever their differences, they are relevant mainly because their opponents are too. A democracy needs competing ideas and forces to shape and check legislation. If only for the purpose of self-preservation, the political factions must find a modus vivendi and agree to honour its terms.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2026