That consultation and constructive engagement is the key to the resolution of most political issues is quite obvious from the outcome of a briefing session on the Wana operation that Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain hosted for the MMA leadership at the Prime Minister's Secretariat on Tuesday.
The Federal Interior Secretary gave a lengthy 3-hour briefing to the leaders of the religious alliance, including the Leader of the Opposition, Maulana Fazlur Rehman; MMA parliamentary leader Qazi Hussain Ahmed; NWFP Chief Minister Akram Durrani; and two other prominent alliance leaders, Liaqat Baloch and Hafiz Hussain Ahmad.
These people have been highly critical of the Wana operation and the government insistence that all foreigners in the area get themselves registered with the relevant authorities.
The government had earlier worked out an accord with the tribals in the South Waziristan Agency to end an unsavoury confrontation. But this particular issue became a big bone of contention between Nek Mohammad, the leader of the belligerent tribesmen sheltering the foreigners, and the government, culminating in his death in a missile attack on his secret hideout.
Until recently, the MMA and some others have been arguing that the so-called foreigners were not really foreigners any more since they were the remnants of the previous [US backed] Mujahideen's Jehad against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. And since these people had married local women and made Pakistan their home, they should be left alone.
That story though is only partially true. Indeed some of them are either former Mujahideen themselves or their offspring. And as per the age-old traditions of the tribes inhabiting the troubled tribal region, the local people feel honour-bound to protect their guests at the cost of their own lives.
The other, and more distressing, part of the story relates to the foreigners who are said to be Taleban recruits.
They, outside reports suggest, use the areas bordering Afghanistan as a safe haven to regroup and attack the US-Afghan forces across the border, creating serious difficulties for Islamabad.
Whether or not such reports are valid, the government has a strong case when it says that all foreigners must register themselves, and acquire necessary residency documents in line with international laws and practices.
The special briefing that the government organised for the MMA leaders was convincing enough for them to give up criticism of the government policy on the issue and arrive at a four-point agreement that is aimed at resolving the question of foreigner registration and coming to grips with different manifestations of extremism.
According to this agreement, the MMA will not only help in the registration of foreigners in the Wana area, it will also extend complete co-operation to the government in its efforts to end terrorism.
A related point says that both sides decided to take stern action against seminaries and mosques fanning sectarian hatred and helping terrorists.
The use of loud speakers is also to be restricted to Azan and Friday sermons. And a much-needed quid pro quo from the government is an offer to end its recent economic embargo or collective punishment imposed on the affected area's people.
The NWFP Governor, FATA MNAs and local elders are to hold consultations in order to resume commercial and trade activities that have come to a halt.
As it is, the MMA heads the provincial government in NWFP, the province most disturbed by the spill-over effect of the previous and the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan.
Its component parties also form the religious establishment that runs various seminaries and is connected with mosque leaders, many of whom incite religious passions and sectarian hatreds.
Which means it has a big role to play in addressing the problems at hand. One can only hope that the government and the MMA will continue to engage in productive consultations on the implementation of the agreement they have just concluded.
That can actually go a long way in ridding this country not only of the problem of unwanted foreigners but also the menace of sectarian violence as well as other forms of terrorism.