Nawaz’s liberal streak

From right to left of centre?

It seems the Sharif brothers are in the process of introducing a dose of good old fashioned liberalism into the PML-N’s political outlook, dragging the party from its traditional right of centre base to more to the left than before, at least, if not a bit across the centre to the other side itself. For evidence, take the recent string of events that has left his long cherished far right constituency livid. He wants Pakistan to become a liberal democracy. He endorsed Hindu rituals. He praised Sharmeen Obaid’s documentary before her second Oscar. His government let the ‘due process’ eliminate Qadri, etc.

But, worst of all, the Punjab government’s Women Protection Bill sent the far right lobby, spearheaded this time by JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl, into a tailspin. This is not the first time Nawaz has upset the religious right. The mullahs are not happy with his outreach to India either. Of course, traditionally the N league has been too far to the right to be able to just snap over in another direction and redefine its ideology. There are still too many flies in the ointment for such a transformation to be effective and efficient.

Also, the proof of the pudding lies in the eating. Granted, recent gestures deserve a degree of appreciation. But for the rhetoric to be accepted at face value the Sharifs will need constant and quantifiable actions. The fight for liberalism is made all the more difficult in the present setting, when much of the country and people are held hostage by and extremist ideology that is responsible for the ongoing existential war. It is also a necessity. And if the ruling party has finally realised it, it is a small first step in the right direction.