- And the half empty glass
There are reasons why signs of demoralisation are appearing in sections of the PML-N parliamentary party. Nawaz Sharif already stands disqualified from contesting elections. There is also a possibility of his being sentenced in corruption references. Party activists and sympathisers, too, are confused. The PML-N has therefore devised a plan for public meetings for two purposes. First, to motivate PML-N workers to make preparations for coming elections. Second, to discourage desertions from the party through a show of force. It is hoped that big gatherings which are indicative of mass public support held ahead of the elections would deter those meditating to jump the ship.
The Abbottabad public meeting was the first in a series of mass contact campaigns. Last week, on the insistence of the moderates in the party, the PML-N laid out a policy of non-confrontation with the army and judiciary. Nawaz Sharif therefore was careful not to hint at any conspiracy by the offstage players. While he could not have spared those who disqualified him, his references to the judiciary remained confined to issues that are a matter of record like judges taking oath from dictators or his being disqualified without any evidence of corruption.
The former prime minister sought support from the people on the basis of his development work. Nawaz Sharif is an ideology, he said, and this ideology will bring revolutionary change across Pakistan. He mentioned the motorway that would pass through Hazara and is about to be completed. As in other provinces, projects nearer the hearts of people, remain neglected in Hazara also. There were unfulfilled promises of a 500-bedded hospital, reconstruction of 1,000 schools in the earthquake hit areas, women university, medical university, Mansehra airport, revival of Telephone Industries of Pakistan (TIP), and road construction projects in Galiyat and Kaghan area. Similarly, the PML-N failed to pass legislation making Hazara a separate province. The problem with overblown development promises that Sharif has often made is that it is difficult to fulfill them and the failure is exploited by the opponents who insist that the glass remains half empty.