By Muhammad Omar Iftikhar
Be it a political objective, diplomatic, personal, or one about the corporate sector, a dialogue is always the best solution to address looming challenges. The political scenario of Pakistan has been marred with protests and jalsa that various political leaders organize to share their concerns. They highlight the shortcomings of the government or a certain governing body. While such protests do amass a large gathering, the points raised at such meetings generally fizzle out soon after the protest is over. A dialogue, on the other hand, proves to be a better method of communication. This is where both parties converse with each other, present their concerns, share their action plan, and decide, debate, agree, and disagree on various decisions. Disagreements and conflicts remain an integral part of any discussion or debate. The idea and the objective of any dialogue are to understand the others’ concerns and suggestions. Such a dialogue gives breathing space to all the concerned involved for they are allowed to share their opinions. The political sector of Pakistan, however, requires a method of holding a dialogue. This can be similar to a caucus or a town hall meeting held in the USA. Such a gathering will allow the concerned to raise their voice, share their opinion, highlight their concerns, present solutions, and put forward an action plan. The parties or their representatives involved can debate the pros and cons of the various aspects of the discussion. The prime-time talk shows aired on news television channels in Pakistan are a ruckus, to say the least. Usually, it ends up with a plethora of disagreements with the host (moderator) not able to control the emotions of the participants. A town hall meeting, in this regard, can be aired on television or social media, with key representatives of each party sharing their views in a mature, logical, responsible manner. It can redefine how political conflicts are resolved in Pakistan.
