Nawaz Sharif has reached the point of no return. Fancying himself in the role of whistle blower, the former Prime Minister has dished the dirt. A former chief of a particular intelligence agency had offered him a gold-plated handshake of sorts: resign or go on extended leave. This reportedly happened back in 2014. During those heady days of Kaptaan’s sit-ins to protest claims of election rigging that he later dismissed as mere political comment. Meaning without substance. Upsidaisy. The way that the PMLN supremo tells it, this new type of dharna politics was intended to send him a clear message: quit aggressively pursuing the treason trial against Gen (rtd) Musharraf. And with Nawaz out of the picture — the case against the former military dictator could be quietly wrapped up and duly forgotten. All of which begs the question as to why Nawaz has chosen to sing now. For many, the move renders laughable accusations that Imran Khan’s 100-Day plan is a pure and sophisticated attempt at pre-poll ringing. In short, the deposed premier is doing his best to secure his party’s electoral future by fair means or foul. Except that this is not the first time that such allegations have surfaced in the PMLN camp. Back in 2015, Khawaja Asif, the then Defence minister went on the record as saying that Gen Zaheerul Islam and his predecessor, Gen Shuja Pasha, were in cahoots to have the civilian set-up come undone. Indeed, during this same period, The News quoted unnamed sources as saying that Nawaz had “solid information” singling out Gen Islam as being deeply involved in the sit-ins that paralysed the federal capital for 126 days. All towards the same endgame. The only difference being that back then the PMLN chief chose to keep quiet to avoid further straining civil-military ties. None of this makes much sense. Nawaz swept to victory in 2013. On the mandate of trying Musharraf for treason; a move that both he and Asif Ali Zardari had elegantly sidestepped back in 2008 in the name of vengeful democracy. Thus as PM, the senior Sharif would have been in a strong position to have taken Parliament into confidence over these dharna-related accusations. He was, after all, a popularly elected premier who was still riding high on public support and set to make history by being the first to complete his or her tenure. Similarly, one must wonder why the then COAS did not take notice of these claims. It is evident that Nawaz feels as though he has his back up against the wall. The way he sees it is that first came the sit-ins and when this failed then came the Panama Papers case. Not only that, a few of his good men have also been booted to the wayside. The tragedy is that it may well be a case of too little, too late. For having waited until now to speak up, the PMLN bigwig risks standing charged with sour grapes; thereby undermining the gravity of his words. So, what is the way forward? Sadly, Mr Sharif may just have sealed his party’s electoral fate. As for what the future holds in store for him personally, he has just killed any chance of reconciliation with the powers-that-be. Yet what may be bad for Nawaz may yet be good for the country. As in, this cannot pass by unforgotten. At the very least a judicial commission must be constituted to get to the bottom of this mess and to apportion blame where it lies. Indeed, the ongoing Asghar Khan case has set a precedent of sorts in this regard. And so it is that Pakistan will face democracy’s ultimate litmus test. * Published in Daily Times, May 24th 2018.