The ‘king’ is disqualified

–SC’s verdict may affect PML-N’s narrative of victimhood

–PML-N now has sleek chances of expecting reprieve from lower forums

ISLAMABAD: First their Lordships took the premiership from Nawaz Sharif and made him fight his case in an accountability court, then they took the presidentship of his party from him and now they have disqualified him for life. If past happenings can tell us anything about the future, in Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) case, the future looks gloomy, bleak and full of unfortunate events.

What came to many of us as a surprise and to others as a validation of their trust in the judiciary, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar-led five member bench decided that disqualification under Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution of Pakistan is perpetual and permanent. What is missing from the esteemed judges’ verdict are the consequences it will have on the PML-N’s narrative of victimhood and being the sole target of a grand conspiracy hatched by the ever elusive establishment, comprising of judges and generals.

Ever since the Supreme Court (SC) started the Panamagate hearing, both PML-N and PTI have their daggers drawn, both inside and outside the court. Till April 20, 2017, the day when SC formed a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to look further into the matter, both parties posed supreme confidence in the apex court and abstained from directly or even indirectly attacking, mocking or ridiculing it. However, as the JIT commenced and it started summoning members of the Sharif family, alarm bells started ringing for the first family.

Slowly yet steadily, MNAs and loyalists like Talal Chaudhry, Daniyal Aziz, Asif Kirmani, the inimitable Senator Nehal Hashmi among others, mounted a verbal assault which was sometimes direct and at other times covered in innuendos and insinuations against the JIT members and judges of the SC.

After July 28, 2017, as they say, the proverbial cat came out of the bag. Former prime minister Nawaz, along with his daughter Maryam Nawaz, who previously were in the shadows and avoided making direct comments on judiciary, started a countrywide campaign where they addressed droves of people and kept on repeating the same mantra, the now viral and ubiquitous ‘Mujhay Kiyun Nikala’. The serious observers, however, believe that the narrative both father and daughter repeated incessantly has gained currency over time. Nawaz often said in his rallies and public appearances that it all started with the investigation into Panama Papers and got reduced to an iqama (work permit).

The cornered, blindsided and now paranoid PML-N had to put up with multiple salvos in quick succession. The fall from grace of the ‘secure and thriving’ Nawaz in wake of Panamagate judgment has not even stopped. The daily haul to the accountability court, the possibility of being jailed in Adiala, the end of a dynasty, the inter-family rifts, the power struggle between cousins and now the disqualification for life from the same judges who disqualified him in Panamagate over an iqama, does not bode well for him.

Recently, Maryam, the heir apparent of the Sharif dynasty, held scores of social media conventions all over Pakistan. She used the occasions to mould the public opinion around two simple points. Firstly, a grand conspiracy is afoot against PML-N in general and her family in particular. Secondly, Maryam Nawaz, fearful of the outcome of case in the accountability court, has gone all out to portray her family as the victims who have been wronged, tricked and hoodwinked by the duo of ‘managed’ judges and ‘conspiring’ khakis.

One thing, however, is certain. The narrative of Nawaz and his daughter has helped them hold onto their vote bank. Whether new converts have entered the fold of PML-N is questionable but there is little argument against the fact that their narrative has made their old supporters stauncher.

Perching themselves on the moral high ground, their Lordships at the Supreme Court have decided the fate and fortune of the Sharif family. Now, the ball is in the accountability court. It is expected that the ‘final judgment’ too will come soon.