State of deadlock

Till Tuesday night, the political situation in Islamabad remained static. Tens of thousands of people brought into the capital by Maulana Fazlur Rehman continued their sit-in, while talks between the government’s negotiating team and the opposition’s Rehbar Committee remained essentially deadlocked. There is speculation that a breakthrough may be imminent, especially after Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and former prime minister Pervez Elahi met Maulana Fazlur Rahman on Monday night and Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday morning. The prime minister thanked the Chaudhrys for their attempt to end the standoff, but there has been no announcement till the writing of this editorial. Analysts suggest there has been a softening in the attitudes of both sides over the past few days, but no significant change has been noted. Akram Durrani, speaking for the opposition, has said that the opposition parties remain committed to their key demands, which include the resignation of the prime minister, and new elections.

The government committee led by Defence Minister Pervez Khattak has said that while they are willing to talk, PM Imran Khan will not be stepping down. The committee has been given complete freedom by the PM to determine which direction they wish to move in. In a speech on Tuesday, PM Imran Khan said that he had predicted that “corrupt persons would take to the streets”, but that his government had made their efforts ineffective. The JUI-F threat made by Maulana Fazlur Rehman, that it could begin moving beyond its current position, seems unlikely with other opposition parties including the PML-N and the PPP both having expressed reluctance to follow this path. There is also a divide within the PML-N according to observers, with Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif taking different positions. The bail granted to Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday led to conjecture that she might join the dharna but she is yet to be released from Kot Lakhpat jail. Bilawal Bhutto has said that he will be seeking the opinions of party workers on whether the PPP should join the dharna or stay away.

Questions are also being raised as to what solution can be found. Commentators believe the formation of a commission of one kind or the other to look into Maulana Fazl’s allegations of poll rigging in 2018 is likely. But further developments are awaited. There are obvious attempts at easing the standoff and reaching some compromise. But with the key demands of the opposition revolving around the PM stepping down or new elections, the doors that could lead to a passage out of the gridlocked situation looks difficult. For now, things remain much the same as they have been for the past week.