Nothing is more unfortunate than watching the ruling elite masquerading as representatives of the people and fiddling around at a time when power shortage has assumed an alarming situation, with one province submerged in flood water, another fighting dengue and two facing the fallout of the war on terror.
Against this dismal backdrop, the 35th session of the National Assembly commenced on Monday with the PML-N commander-in-chief unleashing his lieutenants to support the countrywide protests against what he called the Zardari-Gilani club of the corrupt, starting their agitation from the floor of the Lower House of parliament by bench-thumping orchestrated with “go Zardari go” full-throated slogans.
Nawaz Sharif spent a busy day in the federal capital – first he chaired a meeting of his party’s central working committee and then headed a meeting of the parliamentary party in the Parliament House to set the agenda of the day and kick-start a movement against the government. A clear indication of his take-on-Zardari-Gilani government strategy is that he has formed a committee to organise a protest in front of the President House.
Though Nawaz Sharif had never considered the option to embark on a rock-the-boat voyage, he visibly appeared to have now decided to launch a campaign against the government when the entire country, particularly Punjab, which constitutes sixty percent of Pakistan (population-wise), is up in arms against the PPP government.
The gossip in parliament lobbies was that Nawaz Sharif had “got an indication” from the power that-be to organise his forces and the “go Zardari go” slogans in the chamber of the National Assembly with PML-N hawks holding the government responsible for all our woes were unmistakably suggestive of the beginning of an anti-government movement.
Given his bitterness against the power that-be that pulls the strings from behind the scene when it comes to removing a political government, one does not agree with these gossipmongers that this time Nawaz Sharif will take dictation from the khakis- ontrolled establishment to dislodge a democratically-elected government.
The PPP government, which is all over place, has itself provided the opposition with an opportunity by economically antagonising the people whose businesses have been forced to shut down because of the unending and everyday-aggravating energy crisis, rampant corruption, political instability, uncontrollable law and order with no hope on the way – a perfect charge-sheet for removal of a government.
And, Nawaz Sharif is surely not a naïve politician to let this opportunity go the Zardari-Gilani way. What he will focus on is the Senate elections. Being mindful of the future political scenario with the PPP and its allies winning the Senate elections, which they will if the electoral college, the National and provincial assemblies, remains intact, he will certainly go to any extent even asking his party’s parliamentarians to resign from the National Assembly first and the then from the Punjab Assembly.
A mole, who is close to Nawaz Sharif, did not disagree with the option of resignations and supporting this argument said, “November is the month.” The prime minister too has analysed the current political turbulence that has given a multiplier effect to a number of crises as a prelude to the Senate elections. “It’s a preparation for March,” a mole quoted him as saying. This also suggests that he is ready to face any situation. After all, the major loser will be his boss, not he.