PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif has once again demonstrated his commitment to national reconciliation by declaring that he wished to tone down the political tension and wholeheartedly move forward the process of negotiations with the opposition PTI as the country cannot sustain more damage. Addressing a meeting of the Federal Cabinet, he highlighted sincere efforts made by the government to sort out differences through dialogue and deplored non-progress due to lack of reciprocity from the other side.
There can be no two opinions that Shehbaz Sharif always worked for promoting national unity and solidarity in his capacities as government leader as well as during the times PML(N) was on opposition benches. The latest offer is yet another proof that the Prime Minister was keen in creating a congenial atmosphere for implementation of the ambitious economic agenda of the incumbent government. It is known to all that the PTI joined the process of dialogue reluctantly and abandoned it prematurely without waiting for a response from the government to its charter of demands. It preferred not to attend the scheduled January 28 round of talks on the pretext that the government did not form a commission to probe May 09 and November 26 incidents. However, the remarks and offer of the Prime Minister, as explained during his address to the cabinet, showed that the Government, instead of a judicial commission, was ready to form a parliamentary committee to probe these events. In this connection, he pointed out that the then opposition (PML-N) agreed to the proposition of the then ruling party (PTI) for the formation of a parliamentary committee to investigate the allegations of rigging in 2018 elections. The Prime Minister urged the PTI to resume dialogue and work together to form a new committee to investigate both the 2018 and 2024 elections and bring out the facts. This is a significant development as it comes in the backdrop of a boycott of the talks by the PTI. The offer made by the Prime Minister presents yet another opportunity to sort out differences and that too from the platform of the parliament, which represents the entire nation. However, it is unfortunate that the opposition party has hastily rejected the offer of the Prime Minister for resumption of the dialogue and the proposal to form a parliamentary committee to probe the events of May 09 and November 26. Some analysts point out that this is in line with the overall attitude of the party towards the institution of parliament, the supremacy of which has answers to all questions.
Doors are never shut in politics and every move that offers an opportunity to promote national reconciliation must be taken seriously by all sides. The PTI abruptly quit the talks after holding three meetings with the ruling parties negotiation committee, maintaining that the government failed to constitute judicial commissions within the seven-day deadline in line with its charter of demands. And now without giving a serious thought to the offer of the Prime Minister, the party has rejected it, showing its preference for agitational politics. Instead of agreeing to the offer for resumption of the stalled dialogue process, it is proceeding ahead with its plans to hold country-wide protests over alleged rigging and non-acceptance of its demands. The letter that the founding chairman of the PTI Imran Khan has written to the Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Yahya Afridi is also reflective of the mood of the party towards the issue of dialogue. The contentions and accusations of the former Prime Minister as contained in the 18-page letter and 300-page of, what it calls, documented evidence, could make the political atmosphere murkier, damaging the prospects of resumption of the dialogue. It would be appropriate if all sides agree not to indulge in statements and moves that can harm the noble objective of national reconciliation.
