Some softening.

AT long last, former prime minister Imran Khan is ready to 'talk to anyone and take every step to' resolve the country's present crises. The PTI chairman's long-overdue change of heart came after the prime minister extended an olive branch amidst a turbulent week in which the state and the PTI faced off over an arrest warrant pending against him.

Mr Khan suggested that his softened stance was a 'sacrifice' he was willing to make for the country's 'progress, interests and democracy' - perhaps a reference to his earlier insistence on refusing to engage with anyone whom he believes has been responsible for 'looting' the country.

The breakthrough has, according to some reports, been received with cautious optimism in the current government's ranks, though observers have warned that the yawning trust deficit between the two sides will prove quite a formidable barrier to overcome. Be that as it may, this is an opportunity that should be seized with both hands.

The long stalemate between the country's two main political factions has not benefited anyone. In fact, its needless prolongation continues to inflict extreme - and, many fear, irreversible - damage on the country in the form of severe sociopolitical and economic uncertainty.

Very few - including, it seems, foreign partners and multilateral lending agencies - are still willing to bet on Pakistan's future, given how far the country has sailed into uncharted waters.

The power to navigate the ship back to calmer seas has, since the beginning, rested with the political...