Signs of an end to the deadlock
The government is under increasing pressure to urgently resolve the political deadlock. Adding considerably to its woes are developments in the Model Town firing case which an overconfident Punjab Chief Minister had thought he had successfully washed his hands off.
The talks between the government and PTI hit a deadlock on Monday but another session was held on Tuesday night. As a concession to the PML-N and its supporters in the opposition, the PTI has dropped its demands for dissolution of the assemblies followed by an interim government to hold mid-term polls. The party is now lobbying for an in-house change requiring Nawaz Sharif to resign during the proposed enquiry by the Supreme Court into the alleged rigging. It says it has agreed to allow the PML-N to stay in power meanwhile. With Nawaz Sharif still enjoying the support of all major parliamentary parties, one wonders if he would agree to the proposal.
The PML-N government has lost its legal battle against Qadri. It will now have to eat the humble pie while cases are registered under the orders of Lahore High Court against top government leaders who have been nominated by the relatives of the PAT workers shot down by police in June. A news channel has meanwhile leaked parts of the report of the judicial enquiry commission allegedly holding Punjab government responsible for the brutal police action that killed 11 on the spot while three succumbed to wounds later.
As the pressure was mounting on the government, the COAS held a second meeting in a week with Sharif. A statement from the Prime Minister House tells of a consensus between the two on the need to resolve the ongoing issue “expeditiously and in the best national interest”. Presumably the government is being required to ensure the success of the talks. What the PTI needs to realise is that in case of the derailing of the system, it too would be a big loser. All parties should read the writing on the wall and act with maximum flexibility.
