Nothing can grow under a banyan tree
Newly elected Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is an educated politician. Except for 2001 he has won his NA seat in all the seven elections held since 1988. There are other party MNAs also who are equally loyal and experienced. It brings no credit to the PML-N however to get Abbasi elected as a placeholder for Shahbaz Sharif. This implies that the party leadership either does not trust any of its 188 MNAs or considers them less than competent.
Transplanting Shahbaz Sharif from Punjab to make him the Prime Minister could add to PML-N’s woes in the province. The PML-N is being challenged by Imran Khan’s PTI in its stronghold. PAT chief Tahir ul Qadri is arriving next week to join battle against the ruling party. The PPP is desperately looking for a foothold to stage a comeback. With the elections due next year, and the PML-N workers’ morale already down due to Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification, any small retreat could turn into a rout.
In view of the gravity of the problems Pakistan faces it needs a full time Prime Minister. The ongoing tension between the government and the army needs to be brought down, law and order improved, the economy looked after and right decisions taken to deal with key external problems. Having a half PM who is also a half Chief Minister will lead to gross mismanagement both at the centre and in Punjab. It would be advisable therefore to allow Abbasi to remain Prime Minister till the elections. Nawaz Sharif has already been disqualified by the SC. The apex court has directed NAB to send a number of references against the Sharif family to accountability courts. Things can get worse for the Sharifs in days to come. In case the SC directs the reopening of the Hudaibiya Paper Mills case it might create problems for Shahbaz Sharif also. It is time the PML-N comes of age and learns to do politics on its own.
