Back from the Brink

Just as suddenly as it had moved into its vicious offensive against the PPP, delivering ultimatums and warnings of dire consequences if these were not met, the PML-N seems to have taken several steps back. The ultimatum issued by the party's information secretary has been withdrawn by the party chief who has laid down several conditions in exchange for full support to the PPP. These consist essentially of an undoing of the 17th amendment and the trial of former president Musharraf. These of course are not new issues but have formed the core of PML-N demands for many months. It is hard to know what brought about the change. It has been reported that members of both parties have been holding meetings behind the scenes. There has also been concern that the animosity was deliberately created by agencies in a game to weaken the democratic setup. We have no way of knowing if this is true but certainly the hail of accounts that suddenly emerged regarding past misdeeds is suspicious.

We do not yet know what new chapters have yet to unfold. But we must hope that the parties will continue to show a greater readiness to work together. To do so they need to develop greater maturity. The question is not, as Mian Nawaz Sharif put it, of being seen as a 'friendly' opposition, but as evolving as one that is willing to work within the existing framework and accepts that any elected government has a right to complete its tenure. Criticism too should come but it needs to respect the bounds of democracy and not take the form of threats. Our major parties face a big task. It is up to them to demonstrate that they possess the awareness of the need to push aside agencies and not be swayed by their antics