The third round of talks between the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) ruling alliance and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ended—predictably—without any consensus on a date for general elections, setting the stage for Imran Khan to “come on the roads” that he habitually threatens the government with.
Earlier this week, the ousted prime minister led a numerically disappointing rally in Lahore, reiterating his demand for polls on May 14 as directed by the Supreme Court. With the government refusing to budge from its stance of polls no earlier than September, the deadlock is expected to lead to more political disorder and subsequent instability. With the seeming failure of the talks, the key question remains what they were aimed at accomplishing when neither side is willing to budge on positions they feel will benefit them the most.
The PTI’s demands before the government included early dissolution of all assemblies and adoption of a constitutional amendment to validate polls in Punjab and KP beyond their 90-day constitutional limit. The PDM, meanwhile, remains internally divided over the legitimacy of the talks, with some of its component parties maintaining Khan cannot be trusted, while others argue that the doors to dialogue can never be closed. With polls on May 14 now appearing all-but-impossible, the PTI has announced the launch of a new “movement,” set to commence this Saturday with Khan directing party workers and supporters to gather outside their homes for an hour to “show their support” for the chief justice of Pakistan.
It is too soon to say whether Khan’s latest efforts will bear fruit, as it is clear the PTI now lacks the direct—or indirect—support from the security establishment that it relied on in the past to bolster its agitation. The loss of this support is reflected in Khan’s statements, with him declaring that he has “no quarrel with the establishment” before lamenting that the incumbent Army chief “considers me as his enemy.” What is clear is that the “romantic” officers of the past decade who saw Khan as a “messiah” that would steer the country toward prosperity are no longer in power and the current leadership has opted for “neutrality” to avoid becoming embroiled in deadlocked politics. Amidst this rancor, the ultimate loser will be Pakistan, as the country struggles to evolve the unanimity it most needs to overcome the prevailing crises.