f recent political developments are anything to go by, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf may just as well have changed its political strategy – from its signature politics of agitation to talks with the government. This is in sharp contrast to its previous stance, where it had declared that it wanted to negotiate only with the real powers. There are those who view this as a sign of fatigue within the party in regards to agitation and protests. Now, the party wants to try the negotiation table.

However, PTI insiders tell The News on Sunday that the party has also worked out a plan for another long march to Islamabad towards the end of January next year. If the party’s efforts to achieve its goals through dialogue and, possibly, a civil disobedience campaign fail, they say, the party will then be left with only one option: another round of protest demonstrations.

Talking to the media on Monday, Omer Ayub Khan, the opposition leader in the National Assembly, said, “The PTI is ready to hold talks with either humans or angels [referring to non-political entities]. If they don’t talk with us, we will go for civil disobedience.”

On November 9, the PTI’s incarcerated founder Imran Khan had constituted a five-member committee, including Omer Ayub Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Sunni Ittehad Council chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Asad Qaiser and PTI’s secretary general Salman Akram Raja to hold talks on the party’s behalf. What proved an icebreaker between the government and the opposition was a visit by Asad Qaiser and Salman Akram Raja to the chamber of the National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq.

Before this development, Gandapur, in the wake of the fiasco at D-Chowk, had threatened the government with another march on Islamabad. “If you shoot one bullet, we will shoot ten in retaliation,” he had warned, further raising political temperatures.

So what has brought the PTI, which has rejected offers for dialogue since 2019, to the negotiation table?

The first important factor is the infighting within the party, which has weakened its support base. Various groups hold reservations about the role of Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi. Most doubt her political credibility. At the same time, the Khyber Pahtunkhwa chief minister is engaged in a political row with senior PTI leaders from the province, such as Asad Qaiser and Atif Khan. Meanwhile, party leaders from the Punjab are irked by Bushra Bibi’s remarks about them in the aftermath of the recent D-chowk fiasco.

Aleema Khan, Imran Khan’s politically vocal sister, enjoys significant support among PTI leaders in the Punjab. Khan’s sisters believe that Bushra Bibi and her bandwagon of party leaders are damaging the party and Khan with their follies. They don’t want to see Bushra Bibi in a leadership role. This has divided the party into two major groups: one led by Bushra Bibi, and the other by Aleema Khan. This division has weakened the party’s street power as a large chunk of supporters simply do not know who to follow.

Second, the lack of financial resources is another key factor behind the decision to adopt the course for a dialogue. PTI’s major financiers like Jahangir Tareen and Aleem Khan are no longer in the party. Fund-raising has not been particularly effective in the absence of Imran Khan. The only ways of pouring some money into the party’s account is local funding by supporters, which is not sufficient, and donations by the expatriate PTI supporters. According to PTI insiders, the amount collected through donations is sufficient for a protest march but not for a series of large scale activities such as long marches and sit-ins. Currently, the PTI accounts are almost dry. Raising funds will require some time and effort. Till then, dialogue appears to be the only viable option.

The third factor is the indictment of former ISI director general Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (retired). Many PTI leaders are apprehensive about Khan’s trial in a military court. They fear that Khan might be made a co-accused with Hameed in some of the cases against the latter and this might be disastrous for Khan and the PTI. The recent fiasco in Islamabad too has led to an unpleasant situation for Khan and other party leaders. His bail in the May 9 cases in Lahore was withdrawn. Several PTI leaders, including Omer Ayub, were arrested in the GHQ attack case, and several visitors were not allowed to meet Khan in Adiyala Jail. After Hameed’s indictment, several PTI leaders fear ending up in hot waters. To avoid further harsh action against the PTI, party leaders have managed to persuade Imran Khan to agree to a dialogue. It is hoped that this just might help key players resolve some issues.

The author is a senior journalist, teacher of journalism, writer and analyst. He tweets at @BukhariMubasher