‘For democracy, talking is more important than agreeing ‘

It is indeed heartening to note that the third round of talks between the government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will take place on January 16 2025. No doubt, there has been a discernable decrease in tensions on both sides since the start of talks between the government and PTI on December 23 last year.

Not only is the momentum of negotiations quite satisfactory, one can also discern some strong and clear signs of growing optimism among people about the prospects of ‘’good results’’ as a result of these talks. Needless to say, political stability is critical to achieving economic stability, and political instability adds to security challenges as well.

Noted American academic Rachel Wahl, for example, has rightly said that ‘for democracy, talking is more important than agreeing’. According to her, ‘democracy is sustained by people who are willing and able to engage in meaningful dialogue with others, especially those with different opinions.’

In my view, therefore, both the government and PTI teams are required to work even harder. The gains, however modest, made by the two sides so far are needed to be protected and preserved at all cost. Both are also required to ensure that no one is allowed to throw a spanner in the government-PTI works.

Hashim Reza

Karachi

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025