The distancing of leaders in the PML(N) from Shahbaz Sharif’s recent anti-government diatribe is indicative of their being a difference of opinion within the party. This was bound to happen. If it does, indeed, lead to an impasse (unlikely as that might be) it would actually be the end of an arc that started since the ‘99 coup itself.
A lesson in democracy, the coup was for Nawaz Sharif. To be fair, even though the boy-king derived his initial power from the establishment, his two tenures had already shown signs of his becoming his own man. The coup merely reinforced that bent of mind. He returned a leader better educated and trained in the theory and practice of democratic statesmanship. His younger brother, though, seems not to have changed much in certain areas. Though the League became a populist juggernaut, especially in the second phase of the lawyers’ movement, Nawaz Sharif made it a point not to cross boundaries that would imply a disrespect towards the democratic scheme of things. He also became more critical of the military than the traditional anti-establishment parties, now in government, have managed to be. Shahbaz Sharif, on the other hand, is rumoured not to share those views.
The recent Lahore rally, where the Punjab premier started a ‘Go Zardari Go’ routine is now being put through an image management machine. He only meant to rally against rising corruption, not to eject the president out of office, we are told. This would, presumably, be under orders from the party high command. Casual investigations reveal that though Nawaz Sharif might be more popular with the rank-and-file of the party, their ideological framework resembles his brother’s. An elaborate good cop/ bad cop? Maybe. Either way, it is a pickle that threatens the future of the party unless dealt with properly.