Ch Nisar focuses his pitch on seniority
Ch Nisar has called off his twice postponed presser. According to the media this happened after having been assured that no PML-N colleague junior to him would be nominated as PM in case Nawaz Sharif was disqualified. So the recent fit of bad temper that led Nisar to boycott the PML-N parliamentary meeting followed by excuses of a back ache resulted from his name being excluded from the list of possible candidates. Why didn’t Ch Nisar argue his case in the meeting instead of issuing an ultimatum of a press conference?
Ch Nisar in fact had no case. It would have been difficult to convince his colleagues that anybody born after Nisar was bound to have lesser political calibre than him. Seniority plays a role in promotions of civil servants and servicemen. A political party is an altogether different type of organisation where promotion depends on numerous factors including the politician’s ability to arbitrate between competing views in his party, making alliances with other parties and maintaining rapport with the masses. Working under a wiser or more popular junior is no blemish in politics. This explains why a veteran politician like Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan could work as Chairman Kashmir Committee under Benazir Bhutto. A man like Nisar who is not on speaking terms with some of his fellow cabinet members, treats political rivals as personal enemies and picks up a quarrel with whosoever criticises him, be he a judge or a politician is hardly fit to act as a PM even for a few months.
The suggestion to make Shahbaz Sharif PM is somewhat self-serving. There is a perception that Ch Nisar has eyed the office of CM Punjab for long. But the suggestion is unworkable. It will require one of the PML-N MNAs to resign to open the way for Shahbaz Sharif to reach the NA. The process will take weeks if not months. In case Nawaz Sharif has to leave, someone will have to immediately take his position and he can only be one of the present cabinet ministers who are all junior to Ch Nisar.