When Shehbaz Sharif and Asim Munir offered to mediate peace in the Middle East, I prayed for their success, though I was no fan of either man or of the path they had taken to secure this role. The undertaking was noble and a compulsion of geopolitics. Was there never any doubt however that our Big Twos had taken a plunge where the angels feared to tread. It was still worth its while and therefore we reminded our hybrid heads that once you chose to take a risk or start a hard task, you must not fear the troubles that follow – jab okhli mein sir diya to moosli ka dar kya. The fact but remains that good intentions or brave actions were never enough to clinch an issue. And then for someone who has seen first hand how the best laid plans come to naught, there were reasons to sound alarm.

Every year in Oslo, they collect some of the best expertise to resolve conflicts. The success rate is close to zero. Even their flagship........

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