And a very fluid situation
“We did not want to play this game, but now we will. This is not the end, this is the beginning”, warned Kh Saad in the immediate aftermath of Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification. He, like the rest of the PML-N leadership, continues to sell the ‘conspiracy’ argument to the public; no doubt trying to play the martyr in the run up to the election. But, strangely, after threatening for months to unveil the script writers, string pullers, etc, of this “conspiracy” if they were pushed against the wall, something’s keeping them from opening up even after the disqualification. If there are indeed forces, or “institutions” as PML-N loudmouths claim, that have just sabotaged their government, and they have proof, it is their duty to go public with the information.
Now that the case is over, it is time for political maneuvering on all sides. Number-one issue for PML-N is the new prime minister, of course. Everybody knows the Sharifs’ obsession with keeping the levers of power within the family. But it’s complicated this time. Catapulting Shahbaz to the centre leaves home base Punjab to someone else. Plus NAB will come knocking on Shahbaz’s door in a little over six weeks, with its own potential spillover. And putting someone else in Islamabad just erodes family influence. Also, it remains to be seen how the electorate will respond to Nawaz Sharif working from behind the scenes.
Among the opposition, PPP is not much better today than it was a year or so ago, despite Bilawal’s repeated attempts to reorganise the party. That is why more than a few PPP leaders skipped a heartbeat or two a few days ago when there is talk, for a while, of the prospect of a snap election. But PTI clearly walks away with the most to boast from the Panama mess. And, to give them credit, they pushed this case when nobody else seemed to bother – PPP was dead against approaching the Supreme Court. But perhaps PML-N will have a belated realisatin that in trying to discredit Imran Khan, they also played a part in making this case, at least in the public sphere, not just about PML-N but also about PTI. Hopefully all sides will focus on the election and talk of “games” and “conspiracies” will die sooner rather than later.