What does PML-N need to survive PTI’s tsunami?

REPORTER’S DIARY
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) of Imran Khan, dubbed a non-entity a few months ago, is now a reality and its rapid growth is not less than a nightmare for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). As an emerging and formidable third force to be reckoned with, the PTI is set to shatter the dreams of the Sharifs, particularly Nawaz Sharif, to make their government in the country after the fall of PPP’s.
Khan’s tsunami is getting impetus with every passing day and has also swept away Javed Hashmi, but the PML-N leaders either refuse to accept the PTI as a reality or apply wrong political tools to confront their rival. Background discussions with political leaders from various parties revealed that there could be some political steps with which the Sharifs can counter (to some extent) Khan’s threat, even if they failed to fully knock out the PTI.
They (politicians) have suggested these measures as follows:
Accept PTI’s reality: The saner elements in the PML-N are advising party’s top brass to shun practice of ridiculing Imran Khan and admit that the PTI has become a political force, as it would be the realistic approach and would help the party in countering Imran’s threat.
Discourage hereditary politics: The PML-N parliamentarians as well as political analysts believe that the Sharif Brothers must pull their family members and children back from the front rows and the positions should be awarded to those party workers who rendered sacrifices for the cause of democracy during Musharraf’s days. They believe that the promotion of Hamza Shahbaz, Salman Shahbaz, Maryam Nawaz, Captain (r) Safdar, Abid Sher Ali and others would have adverse effects on the PML-N’s acceptance in the media and masses, apart from creating reservations in genuine party workers.
Open doors to all: A central leader of the PML-N said that time had come for the Sharifs to induct, without any hesitation, all politicians willing to join the PML-N.
He said the party had already shunned its obstinacy in accommodating such politicians, as recently a number of the PML-Q and the PPP leaders and lawmakers had announced joining the Sharifs. He added that if the party remained in a fix on selection of politicians intending to join the PML-N, they might increase PTI’s strength.
Stop bashing the army: Some political analysts believe that the PML-N’s policy of bashing the military establishment would cost it dearly, as the party’s tirade would create permanent mistrust between the Nawaz-League and the powers that be.
Have a concrete action plan: Irrespective of the PML-N’s scathing criticism against the government for its failure in resolving people’s problems, the PML-N leadership has so far not come up with a solid roadmap for steering the country out of existing crises. The PML-N leaders are advising the party to draft party’s manifesto at the earliest to satisfy the perturbed masses.
Stop giving preference to bureaucracy in Punjab: The PML-N members of the national, as well as provincial assembly feel humiliated when the bureaucracy calls the shots in the province with full support of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and no party worker or lawmaker has authority over civil servants. Most of the PML-N workers and lawmakers who are angry with the party’s top brass are angry on this account and these are the men who can opt quitting the party sooner or later. Be the real opposition: Seasoned political players have firm and unanimous opinion that Imran Khan captured empty space of opposition, as the PML-N kept on adopting friendly opposition posture in the Centre, apparently to save its government in Punjab. They advise Nawaz to re-launch its paused ‘Go-Zardari-Go’ movement and not go into any kind of parleys for reconciliation and understanding with the PPP, as the step might prove detrimental for PML-N’s credibility among the masses.
Don’t call Imran establishment’s horse: The naming of Imran Khan as establishment’s horse by PML-N leaders like Nisar Ali Khan and Rana Sanaullah is not damaging, rather boosting Khan at grassroots level. These charges push political workers at the community level to take Imran seriously and it increases the value of PTI among common citizens. Such charges can make Imran unpopular with some media people and representatives of the civil society, but the common man has no problem if any politician works in affiliation with the country’s security establishment, as they too, in the current circumstances, are looking towards the men in khaki.
Improve governance in Punjab: The PML-N will have to bring remarkable improvement in governance in Punjab, where deteriorating law and order in terms of killings, dacoities, abductions, incidents of police torture etc has virtually gone out of Shahbaz’s control. Take practical steps for new provinces: There is no doubt that the demand of creation of Seraiki and Hazara provinces has strong roots in masses of respective areas, but no political party has yet taken practical steps to appease millions of supports of the cause. The PTI has already dented the PML-N in southern Punjab and Hazara by winning support of some local stalwarts and if the PML-N continues to be in two-minds over the issue, it might loose the remaining support.
Bring their investment back to Pakistan: Commenting on PML-N’s challenges posed by the PTI, a leader from the PML-N said Nawaz should ask his sons Hassan and Hussain to wind up their business empires in Saudi Arabia and England and bring investment in Pakistan. He said the surprise move might help the PML-N regaining its lost ground to the PTI, with a lot of appreciation by the media and civil society.
Mend fences with religio-political parties: Though the religio-political parties are in search of their identity, they are getting united at a platform again. The relationship between the religious parties and PML-N is not ideal in terms of politics and the latter needs to get close to the former so as to grab the vote bank of religious cult.