A good friend and an acute observer of the political scene asked me an interesting question: is it finally time to start feeling sorry for Mian Nawaz Sharif, the head of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Prime Minister (PM) of Pakistan? My response was a qualified “no”. But let me first present some of the points of view that suggest that it might well be time to start feeling sorry for Nawaz Sharif. A few different things have occurred over the last few months that have definitely undermined the authority of the PML-N government both in Punjab as well as at the Centre. This loss of authority has been accompanied by what at best can be called a loss of face. It all starts with the overreaction in the Model Town area of Lahore a few months ago where the Punjab police, under the control of the PML-N government, attacked unarmed members of the organisation run by Tahirul Qadri, killing more than a dozen unarmed men and women, and injuring many more. This was followed by a demonstration of extreme nervousness when Qadri arrived in Pakistan and his plane was diverted from Islamabad to Lahore. That the mighty government of the PML-N led by Mian Shahbaz Sharif, the Chief Minister (CM) in Punjab, and the PML-N government at the Centre were so threatened by a Canadian cleric made it obvious that all was not well in the corridors of power. Also, as a consequence of their actions, many senior PML-N officials, including the PM and the Punjab CM have had multiple First Information Reports (FIRs) for all sorts of crimes including murder filed against them. Then, of course, came the concomitant marches on Islamabad for Pakistan’s Independence Day announced by Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) as well as by Qadri and his Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT). The PML-N government at the Centre as well as in Punjab seemed to go into a state of terminal bother and total indecisiveness about how to react. All attempts were made to stop these marches but when the time came, the government evidently lost its nerve and allowed the marchers to proceed towards Islamabad, albeit with some physical obstructions in the shape of containers placed in the way of the marchers. Even before all this started the federal government had already handed over the security of Islamabad to the army, suggesting that the PML-N government was neither willing nor able to defend Islamabad. This emboldened the followers of Khan and Qadri, and allowed them to assemble across the street from parliament and even make a half-hearted attempt to take over the National Assembly building and PM House. All this was perhaps to see the resolve of the army to protect these buildings. On realising that the army was serious, the protesters withdrew and are now content to camp out in the heart of Islamabad. There was a time somewhere in the middle of all this that it seemed as if the PM was really beleaguered enough to start counting the end of his days as PM. Evidently, he even asked the army chief to mediate the crisis. The army chief met all the parties concerned and then sort of withdrew from any important direct role in this confrontation. However, the entire opposition in the National Assembly, other than the PTI, came out in support of the PM and perhaps saved the day for him. That led to the most important loss of face for the PM. The once utterly haughty PM who rarely ever visited the National Assembly has, since this crisis started, probably spent more time there than he did during all his three times as PM. And worse, during his visits to the flood affected areas, he has been confronted by shouts of “Go Nawaz, go!” Most pro-democracy, anti-army groups in the country are now convinced that a soft coup or something along those lines has already happened and the PM has been put in his place with the army re-establishing its primacy in the political arena once again. All these are reasons enough to worry. But Mian Nawaz Sharif is still the PM and his party still commands a majority in the National Assembly. However, some basic weaknesses in his style of governance have been exposed and will need to be addressed. In this connection, perhaps the first thing he has to do is win back the loyalty of his party members not just for a possible vote of confidence but, rather, as a real democratic leader. If at all there was any danger to Nawaz Sharif as PM during the last few weeks it seemed to come from within his own party. It did seem that many of the missteps being taken by his ‘minions’ — the kind that could have destabilised the situation enough for the army to intervene — were almost intentional. Under existing circumstances, the army will only intervene if the PM loses the support of his own party, leading to a free for all that then leads to a collapse of the government. Whether the army wants to create such a situation is debatable. The recent floods and the ensuing devastation, especially in Punjab, demonstrate that Nawaz Sharif and his younger brother, the CM of Punjab, still want to run the entire show on their own. PML-N members of the assemblies and ministers are rarely seen participating in the relief efforts. This is exactly what the PM should not be doing at this time. Also, the PM should realise that he does not have a ‘mandate’ from 180 million Pakistanis. His party in the last election got less than fifteen million votes and two thirds of the voters in that election voted against him and his party. Finally, I am extremely reluctant to feel sorry for a person who reportedly was seen wearing a five million dollar wristwatch! The writer has practiced and taught medicine in the US. He can be reached at smhmbbs70@yahoo.com