Former prime minister Imran Khan and the PTI central leadership are sounding reconciliation now as now they are showing a willingness to hold talks with the government if it is serious and reveal the agenda of the talks.
Keeping in mind how the law and order situation has been severely disrupted, Mr Khan has been asked to surrender before the court. The law is to be the same for the powerful and weak segments of society and the country which is already suffering from an economic crisis has had to incur millions of rupees for executing a warrant. The scenes that took place at Zaman Park could have been avoided had Mr Khan showed up on Monday at the Islamabad sessions court hearing the Toshakhana case.
While the security concerns may be valid, they have to be addressed by the state. At the same time, the PML-N also appears to be very trigger-happy to initiate a crackdown on the PTI ahead of the scheduled elections. This is a dangerous trajectory and the party should learn from its own recent struggles and remember that the aftermath of 2018 showed that an election that lacks legitimacy in the eyes of the public can make it extremely difficult for a new government to find broad support for its agenda.
Meanwhile, PM Shehbaz Sharif has also extended an olive branch to Mr Khan, emphasising that all political forces would have to sit for dialogue to rid the country of the ongoing political and economic crises. This is a mature and encouraging move on part of the PM, and should be backed up by actions as well if the government is actually serious about it.
At the same time, PTI chief Imran Khan and other PTI leaders have also sounded positive to the offer of the premier. The problems and disagreements are always settled at the table of talks, not with bullets. It is a good omen that both sides are showing willingness for talks to resolve the issues and this is the only way to move Pakistan forward.
