Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif deserves a pat on his back for learning a lesson or two from his own experiences as the Opposition Leader facing a hostile executive. But while he has offered an olive branch to political rival Imran Khan, this realisation of the “national interest” (no matter what the “sacrifice” may be) did not come before painting a flashback of the former premier’s own set of priorities. That a regime crippled with paralysis when it comes to crucial decisions, has finally seen the wisdom in the most important aspect of governance–political consensus–is nothing short of a pleasant breeze; bringing along glad tidings of a better tomorrow. Call it the absolute determination of Mr Khan to clean the swamp or the particularly hostile nature of always-in-vogue demagoguery, the last four years have been witness to numerous episodes of locked horns and battles royale at an extraordinary expense to the hapless millions. The public is, therefore, so used to seeing the ruling elite fight fire with an even tenacious fire that anyone proclaiming to take a different course arouses more questions than the ones settled. If PM Sharif has actually come to the reasonable conclusion that there’s no avoiding the widespread–almost magical–support the PTI enjoys, what is he willing to offer? Did the government unofficially give in to the heated demand for immediate elections the same day a sitting minister had ruled out the likelihood of any such instance before August 2023? And if expediting the general polls is still not on the table, what can convince Mr Khan to pause his campaigning? Islamabad would do well to remember that just like the right to protest remains inalienable in the eyes of law, the onus to dispel the situation does not fall on any other set of shoulders but its own. With the people’s court clearly tilting towards the opposition in the by-elections, the sonorous resistance is quickly dashing towards a deafening point. In a similar setting during PTI’s dharna in 2014, the determination of the protestors as they set eyes on the citadel had forced the then-government to step forward and engage in talks. However, the stakes are much higher today because now, the need to make new bridges is all the more crucial in the light of endless crises plaguing the country. Pakistan is nowhere close to coming out of its climatically-induced tragedies while the rest of the world appears to have moved on. Then, there lurk the burning issues of the government’s war path with two provincial administrations, the upcoming harsh winter and an economy standing on the edge of a collapse. After investing all energies in stifling voices or raising barricades, no player can remain fit to properly run a country, especially one struggling to find firm footing. *