Catalonia may or may not be having a Nawaz Sharif moment. The autonomous region in the north-east of Spain has ended the political stalemate that endured for the last seven months. For, after five failed attempts following local elections back in December, it has elected a new President. The new man at the top is Quim Torra, whom the Centre views as a hardline separatist. Much in the same vein as his predecessor, Carles Puigdemont, who remains in self-exile in Germany. Indeed, the latter is responsible for unilaterally calling last October’s independence referendum; a move that Madrid still sees as unconstitutional. Thus Puigdemont risks arrest and imprisonment if he returns to Spain. This is where the Nawaz comparisons spring to mind. Torra has outlined as a priority the drafting of a constitution for a future Catalan Republic as well as restoring regional laws that the Spanish courts suspended last year. But not before declaring that he is simply keeping the seat warm for the man under whose direction some two million Catalans voted to secede from the Centre. This is more than mere symbolism. Torra travelled to Berlin to officially take over the regional presidency from Puigdemont. Indeed, the deposed Pakistani Prime Minister may even take inspiration of sorts from Torra’s very words. Especially when the latter points out that he would not have been in the present situation had democracy been respected. For Nawaz and his supporters have always made much of the fact that he was a popularly elected leader. Though the fact that following his dethroning from the premiership, Nawaz has been appointed the PMLN Quaid-for-life is where, for some, any similarity ends. For this is seen as having little to do with self-rule and everything to do with self-preservation. Whereas the Catalonia question remains undoubtedly one of self-determination. Other separatist leaders are either in exile or else have already been jailed on charges of charges of “rebellion”. Meaning that the show of unity between Torra and Puigdemont is about resistance in the face of an aggressor nation. Yet by the same token, for Nawaz allies at least, the way in which the courts have gone after the King and all his men is tantamount to a witch-hunt. Whatever the case may be, one thing is clear. Whether in Europe or in this part of the world — democracy is in crisis. A battle is being fought over which branch of the state wields the supreme authority. And it is a matter that needs to be resolved as expediently as possible. For the citizenries’ sake. * Published in Daily Times, May 17th 2018.