Wanted: An Open Mind
Sanity has prevailed. The joint opposition has decided to end the ongoing boycott of the National Assembly and Senate and seek answers to its questions on the floor of the house. Earlier Khursheed Shah and Shah Mahmud Qureshi had met the Speaker who asked them to nominate opposition members for the joint parliamentary committee on ToRs. Neither the government nor the opposition can remain disconnected and estranged for long despite their differences. In a democratic system there is no better way to resolve the disputes other than talks. The voters expect that those representing them would concentrate on making laws and formulating national policies instead of indulging in corruption or getting involved in no-holds-barred fights. Hopefully the opposition would soon convey the names of its reps so that an attempt is afoot to resolve at least one of the problems that divide the two sides.
The government too has to beware those in its ranks who thrive on the disputes between the government and opposition. That a federal minister was found making provocative gestures towards the opposition benches during the PM’s address indicates that it doesn’t suit some in the PMLN that peace should prevail. A strong vested interest in the form of JUIF is meanwhile trying to add fuel to the fire. Fazl ur Rehman wants to exacerbate the differences between PMLN and PTI to improve his position in KP. This explains the type of speeches he delivered in the presence of the PM both at Bannu and DIK. There are also elements in the PTI who would like the entire opposition to leave Parliament and come out into the streets to remove the government.
The government has much more to lose than the opposition if the dispute remains unresolved. It therefore needs to welcome the opposition’s return to Parliament. The government should also be ready to yield ground on ToRs and on legislation for a powerful judicial commission. The opposition meanwhile has to realise that politics is the art of the possible.
