The country and the people of Pakistan have had enough. There is no space left for political and institutional fatal standoffs. Nature cannot give us respite after respite, and enemies will never allow any chances for economic and political stability. Peace will remain elusive. The only way out from this ominous quagmire, and the possibility of escape from this rather long spell of instability, lies squarely in building political rapprochement and bridging the ever-widening inter-institutional gulf. Neither the desire and yearning of the people of Pakistan can be wished away, nor can the importance of major institutions be undermined. There can be no viable country where a major political force challenges all the existing national institutions. Nor can any institution stonewall the aspirations of a large section of society. Consequently, it goes without saying that an immediate political and institutional reconciliation effort must be launched without any further delay. Even if the involved parties initially seem non-compromising, the sincere groups and individuals, for the sake of the country and its poverty-stricken masses, should not be deterred by the enormity or difficulty of the seemingly impossible task.

This humble effort by the scribe is with an assessment that an aware and well-informed large section of society is craving this end to the perpetual cyclic political standoff and a high level of bitterness, bordering on animosities overtaking institutional and at times even national interests. This cannot carry on any more. So the following is suggested:

 1. All political groups and major national institutions should immediately press for calling an extraordinary meeting of the National Security Committee with special additional invitations to the CJP, heads of major political parties, eminent personalities from media, business community, etc.

   2. Immediately call for the cessation of all bad mouthing and aggressive stances against rival political groups and institutions.

  3. All political persecutions by the government and others should be immediately halted and reversed.

 4. The judiciary and tribunals should be totally freed to dispense speedy justice related to politically motivated trials and appeals concerning election complaints. Police and district administration should not be employed to harass political opponents.

  5. The present governments, federal and provincial, should be given at least two peaceful years (until the end of 2025) to demonstrate their administrative and public service prowess. Those who don’t accept the election results may remain peaceful and, under protest, accept the present dispensations for this stipulated interim period. Their silent protests should be allowed to manifest through benign non-violent acts like wearing black armbands, etc. No street protests or large-scale demonstrations should occur for these two years, except gatherings allowed for organizational purposes.

  6. The federal and all provincial setups should use this peaceful time window for healthy competition in the delivery of public services, such as safe drinking water, cleanliness, and sewage disposal, primary health and education, and instituting merit and justice. This will enable the public to evaluate various political and non-political entities in performing their actual job, for which they are elected or appointed. As luck would have it, we have all major political parties in power in the provinces.

   7. This should also provide an opportunity for the power-wielding circles to implement near-consensus structural reforms like smaller provinces and strong local governments, etc. Institutional reforms (Armed Forces, Police, Judiciary, EC, NAB, etc.) may immediately be implemented (enough studies are lying in cold storage).

   8. This time should also be utilized for tax reforms, improving the electoral and democratic processes, based on numerous studies lying dormant in the government’s cupboards.

   9. Only a free flow of ideas from all nooks and corners of the polity can ensure quality inputs for a government desirous of running the country as per the aspirations of the people; thus, the importance of free but responsible media. It should happen tomorrow.

Two realities must be understood and embraced: no political group can challenge the entire state apparatus, and the state cannot suppress the voice and wishes of a large chunk of society without derailing the normal working of a country.

And above all, we are left with no time to continue on this collision course without facing grave consequences in the economy, security, and politics (both internal and external). Let it be known to all that despite the hush-hush environment, there were people from all walks of life (media, judiciary, administration, business community, lawyers, students, veterans, etc.) who raised their voices pointing at the ominous gathering of the impending storm.