WHY can’t the PTI and its jailed leader decide what they want? Even while leverage is slipping from its hands, the party remains in two minds about whether it ought to negotiate a way out or continue on its path of ‘resistance’. It believes that “it is in Pakistan’s interest” for the state to engage with the PTI, but has never really explained what it is willing to concede in return. It is also quite unjustified to demand that politics be reduced to a zero-sum game between PTI on one side and all other parties on the other. To top it off, Imran Khan continues to maintain a frustrating ambiguity about his position on negotiations, even with the establishment. His remarks to confidantes, which often make their way to social media, seem to consistently undermine the work his own party leaders have been doing to start a dialogue. This chaotic approach has taken a toll on the party. Over time, the urgency for a negotiated settlement has gradually subsided, and the ruling regime has used its position to manufacture various new means of ensuring its continuity in power. Meanwhile, the PTI has been able to make little headway towards its goals.

At some point, the party should have reconsidered whether its approach was the right one. While the government may be unpopular with the public, and its legitimacy may continue to remain in doubt, its legislative measures have now ensured that it would be difficult to dislodge it. Indeed, the country has paid, and continues to pay, a steep price for maintaining the status quo, and it is in the nation’s long-term interest that a political ceasefire is reached soon. Things must return to normal. Unfortunately, the appetite for ‘normalcy’ appears to be running out, and the ‘power is power’ doctrine has been gaining in force. But while it is still by and large the PTI that is on the losing end today, the backward slide does not bode well for Pakistani democracy in general. In the absence of defined rules of the game, the political class remains at the mercy of non-political forces and their agendas. It is better for the different parties to work out a modus vivendi based on fair principles and mutual respect than to resign themselves to playing second fiddle in policymaking and governance.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2025