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New consensus

Monday, May 06, 2024

This letter refers to the article ‘Reconcile now’ (May 1, 2024) by Lt-Gen (r) Naeem Lodhi and the news report ‘Gen (r) Lodhi’s reconciliation proposal has reached military authorities’ (May 3, 2024). It is indeed a very timely and positive initiative by some retired senior military/civil officers, politicians, and media persons to press for an immediate reconciliation process between political forces and state institutions. The broad parameters proposed in the article and the news report are logical and need to be considered by all stakeholders with a cool mind.

Since everyone, including political parties and state institutions, has a role in the current precarious state of affairs in the country, getting into the unending blame-game will likely lead us nowhere and may even widen the existing polarization. The country cannot afford to lose time. Truth and reconciliation might be the most plausible course of action. The Indonesian revival of democracy in the late 1990s and its tremendous benefits to the country should be evaluated as a case study for us to emulate, with modifications that suit our own unique circumstances.

Pervez Iqbal Malik

Islamabad