Grand Dialogue Inevitable For Country's Political, Economic Stability

The democratic system cannot strengthen its roots in the country unless all the stakeholders including religious and political parties sit together for a grand political dialogue to seek solutions to the prevailing socio-economic challenges

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jan, 2023 ) :The democratic system cannot strengthen its roots in the country unless all the stakeholders including religious and political parties sit together for a grand political dialogue to seek solutions to the prevailing socio-economic challenges.

The political dialogue was considered an effective tool in a democratic setup, which resolved political issues and removed misunderstanding among political players amicably and also strengthened democracy besides ensuring the smooth transition of power through mutual consensus among political stakeholders.

"In a democratic system, the doors to political dialogue among religious and political entities are always open to take decisions in the national interest," said Professor Dr A.H.Hilali, former Chairman, Political Science Department, University of Peshawar while talking to APP on Friday.

He said democracy was derailed four times in Pakistan due to the absence of political dialogue among political parties, which resulted in socioeconomic imbalances, poverty and weakened democratic institutions in the past.

Dr Hilali said the government of Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was dismissed after the 9 religious and political parties under the platform of Pakistan National Alliance (PNA) launched an agitation movement, claiming rigging in the 1977 elections. In spite of strong denial of the rigging allegations by PPP, he said PNA's agitation movement has sparked riots and unrest and incurred colossal economic losses to the country and subsequently democracy was packed up for the third time on July 5, 1977.

"The absence of political dialogue during 90s had also led to the dissolution of the elected assemblies and the governments of former Prime Ministers Benazir Bhutto and PMLN Quaid Nawaz Sharif after being accused of rigging in elections and its negative outcome came before us in the shape of martial law on October 12, 1999." Professor Hilali said unfortunately our politicians did not learn lessons from history and again started wrangling by closing the doors of political dialogue despite the country's difficult economic situation.

"In a democratic setup, the doors of negotiations between political parties were never kept closed and there was always flexibility and logic to move forward," he said, adding the political mercury that touched a new height of confrontation after the dissolution of Imran Khan Government through a successful no-confidence motion needed to be brought down through a constructive political dialogue between Govt and opposition parties.

Besides the country's poor economic situation, he said that political negotiations were also inevitable on elections' reforms so that no political party could raise fingers on the election results.

"By dissolving the Punjab and KP assemblies, Imran Khan had pushed himself towards a narrow street and lost a golden opportunity to play role in formation of the caretaker setup in centre after tendering resignations by the PTI lawmakers from the national assembly," said Wajid Ali Khan, former Provincial Minister and ANP leader while taking to APP.

"If Bangladesh leaders Hasnia Wajid and Khalida Zia could sit across the table for the sake of their countrymen, then why the government and opposition parties in Pakistan can't sit together for holding a grand dialogue of political reconciliation.

Wajid Ali has accused PTI's former lawmakers for depriving their electorates from development funds in upcoming budget in KP, Punjab, Centre and left hundreds of thousands of floods victims in these provinces alone after prematurely dissolving the two provincial assemblies.

KP has been pushed to the verge of financial default by the PTI rulers, who failed to take up the case of Rs61.89 billion net hydel profit's arrears with the federation. Billion trees afforestration project has been taken over by the NAB while BRT Peshawar was completed on very high-cost compared to Islamabad and Multan metros thus wasted the taxpayer money.

ANP leader said the construction work on long awaited Arbab Niaz cricket stadium Peshawar has been left uncompleted by the PTI incompetent rulers while construction work on Kalam sports stadium in Swat could not be started despite being the home town of former Chief Minister KP Mahmood Khan.

Traffic jam in Peshawar City has made lives of Peshawarties miserable due to wrong planning in BRT's corridor and not a single hospital was completed in Peshawar by the PTI in its long nine years and six months rule, thus exerted extra burden of patients in Lady Reading Hospital and Khyber Teaching Hospital at Peshawar.

In-spite of an increase in terrorism incidents in KP during tenure of PTI, he said that 60 policemen of KP Police Force were deployed for security of Bani Gala and 50 policemen at Imran Khan's residence Zaman Park.

"We strongly believe in political dialogue and our doors are always open for all parties to take the country out of the existing difficult economic situation," said Ikhtair Wali Khan, PMLN Spokesman and former member provincial assembly while talking to APP.

He said PMLN did not believe in political victimization of opponents and law would take its own course in Fawad Chaudhary case. He said mocking national institutions and high officials as well as their family members was highly deplorable.

Ikhtair claimed that PTI had deceived people on the hollow slogan of " accountability and change" as the former PTI former Government in KP itself closed its own Ehtishab Commission at Peshawar besides the province was put under huge loans burden.

The baseless 'foreign conspiracy' narrative of Imran Khan has been totally rejected by the people as they knew that the PTI Chairman's was using it in a bid to raise his dwindling popularity after his poor governance in the last four years, he maintained.

PTI has shattered the confidence of voters of KP and Punjab after prematurely dissolving the two provincial assemblies and would face people's wrath in upcoming elections, he concluded.