This crisis will not be overcome till everybody works together. That much ought to be apparent to everybody. Indeed, even at the global level, the world’s leading lending agencies as well as some of the more powerful economies are stressing debt write-off for the poorest countries because this fight will only be won when everybody joins hands and fights together. Within countries, too, as governments dole out relief packages and provide much needed liquidity to financial markets, it is already a well-known fact that things will only come full circle when the people also help the authorities. Yet it is quite unfortunate that the Pakistani federal government, the prime minister himself more specifically, does not seem to care about taking everybody along. The prime minister was right to the extent that the government will need all the help it can get, especially from civil society, to overcome the biggest problems. But at the same time he did not seem interested at all in even listening to the opposition; much less in taking them along with his team. After addressing parliamentary leaders via video link on Wednesday, the PM decided to just log off and leave when it was time for PML-N Chief Shahbaz Sharif to speak. Not feeling too welcome, both Sharif and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto decided to walk away from the proceedings. The PTI chief’s contempt for other political leaders is well known; about as much as the fact that he wants all if not most of his political opponents behind bars sooner rather than later. But as PM it is part of Imran Khan’s duties to the nation to build political consensus on important matters, especially when the country just like the rest of the world faces an unprecedented existential crisis. Sadly it is not that Imran could not build a working relationship with the opposition, but rather that he chose not to. And in doing that he deliberately wasted a precious opportunity. Wednesday was perhaps the best opportunity in a long time for the people to see their political representatives working together for the benefit of the whole nation. Alas, the government’s highest office itself sabotaged that chance. The government must realise that by shutting everybody else out, it will only isolate itself in the long run. *