Politics is in overdrive these days. With provisional polls nowhere in sight and a crippling deadlock between all mainstream actors, the only ray of hope that managed to trickle its way through doom and gloom is the seven-member committee designated by the Pakistan Tehree-e-Insaf to hold deliberations with the government. Of course, the horrors of May 9 are still etched fresh in the collective memory and therefore, any talk of election strategy should first acknowledge everything that has gone wrong in the last one year. The other side of the table is not yet ready to look past the grim scenario as the coalition government continues to dot the is and cross the t’s on the proposal to ban PTI. That the government of war-ravaged Afghanistan took it upon itself to set its unruly cousin straight by emphasising the importance of political stability is enough reason to hang our heads in shame. The obsession of the elite with concentrating power has bolted shut all doors that could lead to peace while the entire country languishes in humiliation. However, no move towards normalcy can hold for long if not followed by an earnest resolve for course correction. The shenanigans need to stop. And if the former prime minister actually wishes to pursue political solutions to his predicaments, he has to find a way to steer through the abyss with civil discourse. Pakistan People’s Party’s about-turn on prior disagreement with treating a political party like a militant organisation is a clear sign of the hovering clouds getting much, much darker. As the likes of former premier Nawaz Sharif remain firm in their rejection of any negotiations “with those who set the country on fire,” the PTI chairman should reflect upon the crass narrative of the days gone by. He may accuse the sitting government of only thinking about how to crush his party but wouldn’t that be akin to the pot calling the kettle black? Sensing the direction in which the winds are blowing, Daily Times still requests Mr Khan to let cool-headedness prevail. It would be an extreme disservice to his cause to spell an end to his decades-old movement on such a sour note just because he was not ready to have an eye on the bigger picture. *