PM’s fence-mending with political foes

Positive step towards building national consensus

To what extent can the talks with the militants strategy succeeds remains to be seen. To seek TTP leadership’s response to the government’ move to appoint a new negotiations committee, the Taliban mediators have gone back to North Waziristan. In case the Taliban agree to interact with the new committee, which has no direct representation from the army, the talks will start. How long these continue and what is the outcome is anybody’s guess.

If anything positive has emerged from the exercise so far it is an evolving consensus between the PML-N and the PTI. Imran Khan, who once considered the PML-N leadership root cause of all that was ailing the country, is now desirous to be on the same page with Nawaz Sharif to face future challenges. Imran has further agreed that if peace talks fail, the option of military operation would always be open. Recognizing the existence of ‘all kinds of differences and divides’, a more pragmatic Nawaz is agreeable to join hands with the PTI for achieving peace ’with full determination’. Despite looking somewhat tenuous this could form a good basis for a wider consensus in future on major national issues. What is needed is to include the PPP also in the consensus-building effort. The ongoing operation in Karachi planned by the interior ministry continues under the supervision of the chief minister. This would not have been possible without a level of understanding between the federal government and the PPP administration in Sindh. Sharif took the Sindh CM along during his visit to the famine affected Thar where he announced huge federal aid of Rs one billion for the relief effort. He was received in Mithi by PPP patron-in-chief Bilawal Bhutto, who accompanied Sharif during the latter’s tour of the district hospital. The gesture has elicited a favourable response from not only the PMLN and PPP quarters but also from ANP and PML-Q leaders. It was noted by them that building bridges was a good omen for democracy.

Pakistan faces a host of serious but untackled problems that require national consensus. To start with there is the issue of water shortage in the country. Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal has warned that Thar-like drought may hit half of the country if new water reservoirs were not built. There being a history of mutual suspicions between Punjab and other provinces, no major dam can be built without a consensus between the federal units. A consensus between mainstream parties is needed to stop the infringement of the parliament’s turf by other institutions. Both parties have firsthand knowledge of how small religious parties can make fantastic gains at their expense, only exploiting lack of consensus between mainstream parties. There is also a need for a consensus on national economy. It is for Sharif, who is required to play a key role in the process, to prove that he has the vision to fulfill the mission.