This story first appeared in Arab News PK
As the tables turned for Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, hounded, ousted, and goaded into self-exile but now back to a red carpet welcome, the million-dollar question for many is whether his homecoming signals a change in Pakistan’s current power scene.
Upon starting his homeward journey he was approached by a fellow passenger who said to him, “Many are hoping that upon your return you will improve Pakistan’s human rights situation.” He reportedly responded only with a smile.
Significantly, Pakistan’s former army chief General (rtd) Qamar Javed Bajwa had publicly acknowledged the hand of the country’s powerful security establishment in the 2017 ouster of Sharif and the 2018 election victory of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI). In an unsurprising move for Pakistan’s power games, that ousting has been reverse engineered now.
The three-time Prime Minister returned after a 47-month self-exile in London to address an impressive rally in Lahore last weekend. In a sober, charged and reflective tone, Sharif’s words were potentially promising. He returns to a polarized, chaotic, partial power and for some an intimidating power context. Pakistan is closely watching the hand its most experienced former prime minister will now play.
At Lahore his four key messages, even if implicit and not explicit were: Pakistan’s problems are self-created and the regular dismissal of governments by the establishment is a key reason.
Two, the only way to move out of the current mess is that all stakeholders including all politicians and institutions commit to act by the spirit of the Constitution.
Three, putting Pakistan back on an economic recovery track is first priority.
Four, his agenda does not include avenging those who wronged him.
The paradox of Sharif’s situation was evident. He was calling out the very institution, the army, that had facilitated his return. He took the wise approach… no name-calling, no invoking Article 6 and no hurling threats. Instead, Sharif conveyed his messages in a non-confrontational manner, but without missing out on any important details. He unambiguously pointed to those responsible for the messy situation in Pakistan and said that without abandoning practices of political engineering and interference, Pakistan’s recovery would not be possible.
Interestingly there were early signs from Sharif on how he would deal with his now imprisoned, fiery main political opponent Imran Khan. ‘I’m taking no names,’ he told the cheering crowds. He refused to return in the same coin as Khan, i.e. the name-calling and vicious attacks with which Imran often peppered his public addresses.
Nevertheless, he did slip into a regrettable anti-PTI moment. His out-of-place snide comment about how women from his party were quietly listening to his speech whereas women from another party (a veiled reference to PTI) danced to the beat of drums during rallies, was widely criticized.
Sharif did not fail to speak to his favorite theme of motorways, regional connectivity involving neighbors, and the solution to Kashmiri self-determination. Look at the motorway, he said and spoke about the network of roads built by his government and the electricity shortages that he had tackled. ‘This is my narrative,’ he went on. ‘As was the nuclear test.’
This is vintage Nawaz Sharif. Way back during his first tenure when a bunch of us journalists, having set up the Journalists Defense Committee, went to meet him, fellow journalist Mushahid Hussain, introduced me and said, “You must have read her columns.”
“If I am reading columns, who will make the motorways?” he replied.
And finally, does Nawaz Sharif believe in reforming Pakistan’s power dynamic? The confrontational approach, or the Article 6 approach, did not work for him. The status quo within the power context has sustained, or actually strengthened over time.
But will Sharif’s promise to alter this and to ensure that the spirit of the Constitution be upheld follow through? Will he take along all political parties and engage the establishment to restore constitutional rule?
His first test is upon him… Will he ensure that all political parties are ensured a level playing field in the coming elections? The answer will affirm if Nawaz Sharif is a mere politician or if he is now a statesman.