The formation of the committees of the National Assembly is being delayed due to the prolonging tensions between the opposition and the government. This is the sixth consecutive parliamentary session in which a consensus could not be achieved. The rivalry between Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) is extending to the assemblies and a period of over 100 days has surpassed leaving many to wonder what concrete actions have been taken. At this point, the first priority of the government should have been the formation of committees. The Constitution allows a period of 30 days for the formation of committees after the election of the Leader of the House, i.e. Prime Minister Imran Khan.

According to that clause, those 30 days were over on September 17 but no progress was made. This is essentially because of clashes between both sides on the election of chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). The government according to the Constitution of Pakistan has the liberty to elect an official according to their own criteria, however, it has been a political norm in the country for several successive democratic regimes has been to give the PAC office to someone in the opposition. The aim is to establish a transparency in the financial matters of the government and to ensure no fraudulent activities.

At this point, the government already is facing several crisis. The aim at this point should be to avoid the blame game and involve all stakeholders in shaping a new outlook for the country. The constant verbal battle between PTI and PML-N is not beneficial for the system at this point in time. At the same time, it is very rare that third parties are successful in any democratic setup. The new party while setting new precedents must also respect parliamentary traditions, so as to not alienate other political actors. The system also needs them due to their experience and exposure - an area which the new regime is struggling with and matters are taking longer than usual to resolve.

By this time, several governments have a clear cut agenda of the direction in which they are going to direct the economy, the investments, the budgets, the taxes and national reforms. PTI government is going on a trial and error procedure right now. It would be wise to involve the opposition in the process to set the course of modern political rather than engaging in mainstream politics all over again.