Daily Times

Of all the leaders that Pakistan has, Nawaz Sharif is the most cowardly. Since he was deposed up until now — he shouts of ‘hidden hands’ that only he can seemingly see. Their goal, he cries, it to derail democracy. However, when it comes to naming names, the former Prime Minister becomes uncharacteristically shy. His recent and audacious speech at Abbottabad is a testament to this. For once more was it a hollow roar. With Sharif simply reverting to form and bashing the judiciary. Naturally, he stopped far short of disclosing just who he thinks is pulling the strings from behind-the-scenes.

In the run-up to his disqualification by the Supreme Court this summer, Nawaz appeared to be playing a more daring game. Back then, when the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) was formed to probe the allegations of corruption before him vis-à-vis the Panama Papers inquiry — he and his firebrand loyalists didn’t have any qualms about hinting that it was certain elements within the Army that were the puppet masters. But they didn’t just stop there. Also shamed but not named were those foreign dictators who were plotting against Nawaz as part of a broader international conspiracy. And the establishment was firmly painted as the biggest traitor in this scene of manufactured paranoia.

Hints were dropped here and there about how the security apparatus had wanted to get rid of Nawaz from the very beginning; or at least since he swept to the Centre in the 2013 elections. Indeed, a close aide of the then PM — Mushahidullah Khan — had to resign from the top spot at the Ministry for Climate Change after giving an interview in which he claimed that the then ISI chief was behind the infamous PTI sit-ins of the summer of 2015. Then came Dawn Leaks and three more heads were to roll: the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi; Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid; and Principal Information Officer Rao Tehseen. For the top PMLN leadership, the message came loud and clear. The establishment was preparing the ground for a minus-Nawaz formula. Moreover, they began to feel with ever increasing certainty that this had been in the military pipeline from 1993, back when President Ghulam Ishaq Khan tried to dismiss the Nawaz government; to Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah’s contempt of court notice; to the military coup of 1999; to his eventual disqualification in 2017.

A real leader resists. Nawaz is resisting the Apex court verdict. Leaders also take a stand. Nawaz stands before the crowds. Leaders expose those who conspire against the system to save it. Nawaz becomes coy. He calls on the masses to rebel to save him — but he fails to offer them fearless leadership in return

Regardless of how Nawaz has been trying to influence the nation into standing with him against other treacherous arms of the state — this issue at hand is not one of public mobilisation. For, as the Rawalpindi-Lahore caravan underscored, the PMLN president has proved that he is still a crowd-puller. Indeed, it seems that he is trying his very best to emulate the Turkish president, who, with just one word can rally the citizenry. What is more, following the failed coup to oust Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the people only renewed their fervent support for their leader. And all this happened while the latter remained abroad. But then Erdogan is quite the social media user. He also has never shied away from exposing those who conspired against him. Whereas, Nawaz has merely launched diatribe after diatribe against the judiciary; thereby effectively pardoning those whom he sincerely believes are behind his fall from political grace. Even his party leadership believes that the same hidden hands are responsible for the veritable siege of Islamabad by the religious right in the name of Khatma-e-Nabuwwat (finality of the Prophet-hood). It’s about time they pull up their breeches and just come out with it once and for all. That would be the honest and transparent thing to do.

That he isn’t begs the inevitable question: has Nawaz, in reality, done a deal with the very devil that he is raging against? Perhaps he has reached some clandestine agreement? Or signed off on a thoroughly new National Reconciliation Ordinance? Or is he just as weak-willed as ever?  Yet for many, no doubt, now that we no longer have Benazir Bhutto — he remains Pakistan’s last national leader; the ultimate lone ranger. But, then, if he were truly that, he wouldn’t have to be so timid, so backwards in coming forwards.

In short, leaders resist. And it true that Nawaz is resisting the Apex verdict against him. Leaders also take a stand. Nawaz stands before the crowds. Leaders expose those who conspire against the system to save it. Nawaz becomes coy. In reality, he calls upon the masses to rebel to save him — but he fails to offer them fearless leadership in return. Someone somewhere should remind him of the old adage that says it is better to live one day as lion than a thousand years as a sheep.

The writer is a senior journalist working for China Radio International Online, China Plus. He also writes for local and international print media. He is a fellow of ICFJ and a recipient of China friendly Netizen 2017. He can be reached at yaseerkhan@hotmail.com and tweets at @yasirkhann

Published in Daily Times, November 24^th 2017.