Less than a month before the court-mandated deadline to hold polls in the country’s heartland and at least one political party is still hoping for some magician to pull the proverbial rabbit out of his hat. Biding time until the odds fall in its favour, the PML(N) appears confident that May 14 polls are nowhere in sight and has therefore decided to not waste its precious time (and resources) in awarding party tickets. While the Supreme Court’s provision of a temporary respite in the wake of newly-found willingness to come to a consensus regarding provincial and national elections might add credence to their claims, time is clearly running out on this opportunity and the face of the ruling coalition cannot sit around enjoying the view forever. More worrisome has been an active torpedoing of efforts undertaken by the Jamaat-e-Islami to foster some cooperation between the archrivals. As if political parties were not doing enough damage on their own, a short order from the Supreme Court in this regard is now being heralded as the last straw. That the PPP chairman, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, despite his very open support of dialogue, also believes that the government is being “mandated” to hold “talks at gunpoint” is a dangerous omen. If even those repeatedly drawing flack over their progressive views have been disillusioned by the heavy-handed approach, the apex court does not need any more signs to realise the error in its ways. Pakistan may not afford to stomach yet another series of unrelenting showdowns between its political players, but if its institutions remain just as determined to collide head-on, there remains little hope about its coveted constitution and its superiority. It can only be hoped that once everyone returns from the Eid break, politicians and the higher judiciary would reconsider their line of action. Only cool-headedness and cooperation stand a chance in this ongoing storm. After all, there’s only so much thunder can do without rain. *