Fault lines in the PMLN

Instead of coming  directly to Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif has proceeded to London where he is supposed to hold a consultative meeting with Shahbaz Sharif and  important government  and party leaders. Why the former Prime Minister dodged the court proceedings to travel to Saudi Arabia where he spent almost a week remains a mystery. Why must he meet  government functionaries  in London instead of Islamabad or Lahore, thus  saving  their time and expenses also raises questions. His opponents maintain that he is afraid of being jailed and wants to ensure that his name is not put on the ECL before he appears at the accountability court.

Differences within the PMLN continue to simmer meanwhile. A sizeable number of party leaders and parliamentarians remain opposed to the policy of confrontation with the courts and the army  being pursued by   Nawaz Sharif, Maryam  Nawaz and a group of advisers around them.  While interior minister Ahsan Iqbal   maintains that a  troika  comprising a handful of journalists, retired army officers and failed politicians are  fueling a ‘standoff’ perception, important party leaders including Shahbaz Sharif, Ch Nisar and Hamza Sharif have publicly accepted it as a reality  and  called for an end to it.   There are also differences in the party over Nawaz Sharif continuing to hold on to party leadership and calls for handing over the office to Shahbaz Sharif.

Maryam’s claims  about her administrative and political potential avowedly detected first by her  grandfather and then by father are likely to add  fuel to the already raging fire over political succession. Her remark in a NYT profile, “People around me tell me I was meant for a certain role,” when  asked whether she ever saw herself as a future prime minister, is not going to be missed by those in the party strongly opposed to her taking the place of the disqualified  Prime Minister.

It is time party leadership resolves the disputes around who is to lead the party into the election fray and head the government if the PMLN is returned to power.