re the growing political intolerance and the deadlock among stakeholders pushing the situation towards a point of no return? This is the most pressing issue being discussed these days.

Political intolerance grew significantly under the Imran Khan-led regime as opposition parties and leaders were marginalised in the parliament as well as elsewhere. It has now turned into a tit-for-tat under the current ruling coalition, which consists of key political parties and leaders opposed to the Pakistan Tehreem-i-Insaf (PTI).

The rigid positions taken by both sides, particularly the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which is currently in power and the PTI, which it has replaced, pose the biggest challenge to any effort for mediation leading to an amicable resolution of the conflict. Sensible voices on both sides have been calling for talks to break the deadlock. However, there is no consensus on who should initiate this process and what can be a good point of departure. Meanwhile, the country is facing severe political, economic and administrative crises.

“A grand national dialogue involving all political parties is needed to ease the situation,” says Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed. He says is deeply concerned about the current political polarisation.

“We need to lower the political temperature and step back from the brink, instead of rushing to sa point of no return,” Hussain tells The News on Sunday. He believes that there is no other way for the political leaders but to sit down and talk. He says sane voices from both political parties and parliament as well as the civil society are now calling for a dialogue.

The PML-N senator, who admits that what he is saying does not represent party line, proposes three basic principles to guide political mediation: upholding the supremacy of the constitution, treating the parliament as the centre for decision-making, and refraining from attacking state institutions including the judiciary and the armed forces. He suggests that the speaker of the National Assembly should lead the mediation. He proposes that the resignations tendered by PTI members be set aside and they should be asked to return to the house. Further, he proposes that the secretaries of the PDM and the PTI should meet and set the tone and agenda for the talks. “By following these steps, we can establish the rules of the game. If necessary, we can work on constitutional amendments to bring about the desired changes,” he says.

He says that there is a realisation in the mainstream parties that there is a great and urgent need to pull back from the brink and avoid rushing to the point of no return. Sensible voices, he says, are speaking about it.

“A grand national dialogue involving all political parties is necessary to ease the situation,” says Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed. He says he is deeply concerned about the current political polarisation.

Recently, some senior leaders of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a key component in the ruling coalition, suggested that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif should initiate talks to break the political deadlock. It is hoped, he says, that the PTI will welcome such an initiative and reciprocate a goodwill gesture from the prime minister. Former president Asif Ali Zardari, the PP co-chairman, and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the PPP chairman, have signalled to the PML-N that it needs to start the talks and move forward with the process. However, sources close to the senior PML-N leadership say the Sharifs are not willing to engage in talks with the PTI.

The ruling coalition appears to be divided on whether to hold talks with the opposition to resolve the ongoing political and economic crises. The PML-N and a couple of its coalition partners hold a different view from the PPP. In a meeting of the PPP’s core committee, held last week, a proposal was made to approach all parties in the coalition government to discuss the issue of dialogue among political parties, including the PTI.

Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is repeated to have said that talks are the only way to take the country out of the current crisis. Among PTI leaders, former ministers Asad Umar, Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Fawad Chaudhry, as well as former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser have indicated a willingness to participate in talks leading to a resolution of the deadlock. Some civil society groups have advocated mediation and called for a dialogue.

A group of civil society representatives from the Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE) and the Pakistan Bar Council has welcomed the positive indications for initiating a dialogue between the government and the opposition over the next elections.

The group, known simply as “the mediators,” has welcomed former president Asif Ali Zardari’s stated willingness to engage in political dialogue with the opposition and former prime minister Imran Khan’s readiness to participate in such negotiations. The ‘mediators’ have appealed to Shahbaz Sharif to invite the PTI chairman Imran Khan for a dialogue both in the parliament and beyond it.

“We call upon the adversaries to tone down the bitter, personalised rhetoric and take some confidence-building measures to create a congenial environment for productive talks,” said a press statement from the group.

“We must not repeat the mistakes of the past,” Senator Syed says, adding, “We should also understand that wars against national institutions are unwinnable.” He says that if the government and state can talk to India and terrorist groups, then why not ‘our own people and elected representatives’. In South Africa, he says, Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison but was willing to engage in talks with his tormentors. Today, the country is seen as a democracy. “We need to forgive and forget, move on, and not let down the people of Pakistan,” he says. He adds that “The only way to take the country out of this crisis is through the ballot. Only elections can pave the way for legitimacy and stability in the country.”

Clearly, the question is when the elections will be held. “Free and fair elections without any political engineering are the need of the hour and the only way forward,” he concludes.

The writer is a staff member. He can be reached at vaqargillani@gmail.com and tweets @waqargillani