Confrontation not in anyone’s favour
Since his disqualification from office ex-PM Nawaz Sharif has stuck to an approach of confrontation and agitation with respect to state institutions. His party however is severely divided on this strategy as he himself, certain ministers and most of all his daughter and heir apparent Maryam are actively pursuing it while the more senior cadre of the party is in favor of showing restraint.
Prime Minister Abbasi after his meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reportedly hurried off to Lahore to meet Nawaz’s brother and CM Punjab Shahbaz Sharif. Apparently, the crux of the meeting that lasted ninety minutes circled around Nawaz stepping down as party leader.
Calls for a change in party leadership have been increasing and this latest meeting between the most senior members of the party minus Nawaz indicates a serious lack of confidence in the party’s current leader.
Nawaz Sharif also remains occupied taking care of his ailing wife Kulsoom who is getting cancer treatment in London. In Pakistan he faces multiple accountability court cases. That hardly leaves room for him to focus on party politics especially with the election cycle now in full swing.
That is now perhaps the biggest concern the rest of the party has – securing a majority in the upcoming senate elections in March followed by the general elections. As things stand the PML-N will get a majority in the Senate but with divisions brewing in the party, that might be difficult and the party could miss out on the possibility of controlling both houses after the 2018 elections.
Nawaz might just get his wish of an unsavory reaction by the institutions he is lambasting if he continues on this path which is precisely why this politics of confrontation needs to stop immediately as is being advised by the more mature elements in his own party. If he is indeed incapacitated the democratic thing to do is step aside and let his brother run the party’s affairs.
