Daily Times

The self-imposed exile has finally come to an end and the three-time former prime minister is finally back. With the status quo reestablished Pakistan seems all set to officially enter the election season. In the weeks building up to this dramatic entry, political intelligentsia, social media warriors and roadside gossip-mongers were furiously split along ideological lines.

The undisputed leader of PML(N) had repeatedly caused a tempest in the teacup over highly charged banters about taking on the citadel and restoring faith in the people’s choice. On Saturday, as he stood, flanked by two warring lieutenants, brother Shahbaz Sharif and heir-apparent Maryam Nawaz Sharif, a changed Nawaz Sharif addressed the iconic Minar-e-Pakistan monument.

It could not have been an easy task, realigning the priorities list and unequivocally proclaiming that he did “not have any plans to take revenge against people who ousted (his) government.”

In stark contrast to televised addresses from his London residence, he promised relief for 240 million Pakistanis as he hoped to make a political comeback in general elections expected to be held in the last week of January next year. That it took a trip to the edge of the precipice for a mainstream leader to decide enough had been enough and the finances should now do the talking are all the evidence we need to introspect how misplaced our attention has been.

Nevertheless, the time still seems ripe for the masses to hop aboard the gravy train and force their leaders to woo them with a concrete blueprint for the future. By shifting his focus to development and prosperity, Mr Sharif has taken a gutsy move because he no longer enjoys the rosy picture of the past to woo audiences, he has grown accustomed to. The party support took an incredible hit due to its dismal performance during their 16-month stint in Islamabad and henceforth, some new rabbits need to be pulled for the magic wand to work. Let the campaigning begin! *