Pakistan - PMLN - PTI - Don’t prolong confrontation

In the fight between PML-N and PTI, the only loser is the country itself

The shutdown in Faisalabad would show how Imran Khan intends to implement the  Plan C announced by him last week. Opposition from sober elements in the  PTI  led Khan to subsequently water down his announcement that had amounted to sheer brinkmanship. Nevertheless, what the original announcement  did was to make  the PML-N hawks  go back on   ‘no talks under threat’. The PML-N suddenly  agreed to talks. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar announced  that dialogue could resume soon after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s return to the country from the UK. But once it appeared that the PTI would do no more than  blocking  the arteries   in the cities, the PML-N strategists again changed their line of action. They decided  to wait and see how things worked out in Faisalabad. The outcome would  determine whether the PML-N would  initiate talks or wait till the PTI lost  steam  like PAT.   This  led  Imran Khan   to  again change his  stand. Despite  an  assurance that markets would not be affected  by the shutdown, Imran Khan announced that the  shops would observe shutter down strike on Monday.

Both sides have spent the last two days in shadow boxing with one announcing what they were  going to do and the other what they would not be permitted to do. Meanwhile there has been enough  tension in  Faisalabad. Activists of the PTI and PML-N have had   a heated exchange of slogans at Ghanta Ghar Chowk. The pro-government  traders  vowed to foil any attempt at forcible closure of the markets. Banners have been put in the city both  in support and opposition of the shutdown.  Minor clashes cannot be ruled out under the circumstances. What needs to be ensured, however, is that there is no recourse to firearms.

The PTI and PML-N have to  bring the faceoff to an end at the earleist. In  a tension-ridden environment any major  untoward incident could  put  the initiative into the  hands of the mobs. To avoid the situation it is imperative for the two sides to resolve their differences urgently through talks.