Government’s willingness to hold dialogues with opposition parties on wide-ranging reforms is a step in the right direction. Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry in a recently held press conference reiterated the government’s call to “to engage the opposition on important national issues like electoral and judicial reforms and the appointment of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman”. This desire comes in the backdrop of uproar and protests in the National Assembly over the recently passed controversial Finance (Supplementary) Bill – known as the ‘mini-budget’ – and the State Bank of Pakistan (Amendment) Bill. The passage of the bills was necessary to ensure the revival of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF’s) $6 billion programme.
Not enough emphasis can be laid on the importance of debate between opposition parties and a federal government on all matters of national importance to strengthen a democratic setup. However, the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI’s) attempt to extend an olive branch appears to be rather hollow. The minister claimed that the government wanted to sit with the opposition to hold a dialogue but it was the latter’s disinterest and desire to oust the government that had stalled the process. Perhaps Fawad must be reminded that the opposition had offered to engage with the government on the condition that the premier himself attended the meeting. But Prime Minister Imran Khan, for reasons known only to him, has categorically refused to sit or even shake hands with the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif on the pretext that it will somehow normalise corruption as the PML-N president is facing corruption cases worth billions of rupees.
On the other hand, the government has used its executive authority time and again to bulldoze legislations in joint parliamentary sessions than hold negotiations with the opposition. In other instances, it has intentionally kept them in dark. Case in point: recent talks with the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). How exactly does Fawad then envision the opposition parties to believe in the government’s new found desire to hold talks is anybody’s guess. Having said that, if the government is serious in taking into account oppositions’ views on reforms it needs to engage with them through official channels than holding pressers to make such announcements. It is time for the ruling party to walk the talk. The opposition too should focus on solving national issues through the parliament than hatch conspiracies against the government on streets. Pakistan’s democratic system depends on it.
