- Need to rein in insiders who threaten the system
Within a week of his return from London, Nawaz Sharif seems to have read the writing on the wall. He has told a party leadership huddle that Shehabaz is to be the PML-N’s candidate for premiership.
A minority within the PML-N government is unhappy over the prospects of elections with both Nawaz Sharif and Maryam out of the process. The SC decision to end the Hudaibiya Paper Mills case has added further to their worries as Shahbaz and Hamza remain the only two Sharif family members without any disqualifying case haunting them. Posing as more loyal to the king than the king himself, they continue to express their discontent in various ways.
The transition from Sharif to Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was smooth and orderly. The PML-N government remains in place and is poised to complete its tenure. The government, opposition, and establishment agree on the continuation of the system and holding elections on time. This explains why the PPP withheld its reservations while voting for the Delimitation Bill. There remain, no doubt, differences between the government and the opposition. One such issue has led the opposition to boycott the NA sittings till it is resolved. This is however a normal thing in democracy and the federal minister concerned has promised to get it settled soon. Neither the PTI nor PPP is keen to upset the consensus. The only wild card is the PAT chief Tahirul Qadri who has no presence in Parliament. The PPP and PTI support the demand that justice needs to be done to the victims of Model Town tragedy. Neither seems to be interested in sending the government home before polls.
Under the circumstances the statement by Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal maintaining that some politicians, ex-army men and journalists are hatching a conspiracy against the government is uncalled for. If the government faces any threat to its tenure it comes from elements within the PML-N who not only refuse to accept the SC verdict on Panama case but are also keen to initiate a campaign against the apex court, something unheard of in a civilsed country.