New avatar of democracy

Published on: June 5, 2018 1:06 AM

That a man’s ideas evolve with age, experience, interests and circumstances is not surprising. But the direction this evolution takes is usually from youthful idealism, to elderly conservatism.

It is with the passing of time that one appreciates why the world is like it is: why the saving of order is more important than doing justice to all, making compromises is saner than picking quarrels, certainty has to be preferred over uncertainty, comforts of life are more important than the rigors of desire for changing the status quo and so on. That’s why we find very few revolutionaries in their sixties. But life is full of surprises. And we are witnessing such a pleasant surprise in the new or perhaps the newer version of Nawaz Sharif.

A Nawaz Sharif defying the establishment and its worldview is an unbelievable spectacle. He is not only standing firm despite all odds, but is also generating groundswells of defiance against the unconstitutional forces that have robbed him of his powers. This version of Nawaz Sharif appears to be totally unpredictable for the script writers who, from all apparent signs, were the ones setting the stage for a disgraceful exit for the former prime minister. And now as the term of his government ends in a few days, his narrative of vote ko izat do is all set to get into high gear, with startling revelations about the machinations of the unseen forces trying to hold back his government from delivering at full throttle.

As the PML-N government ends its tenure, Nawaz’s narrative of respecting the vote is all set to kick into high gear, with startling revelations about the machinations of the unseen forces trying to hold back his government from serving the people

Without giving a judgment on the charges of corruption against him, as they will remain shrouded in mystery for the obvious reason that a fair and just trial has not been given to him; it is evident that Nawaz Sharif has been hit hard by his opponents. But the main cause of his restraint so far appears to be his wish for his government to complete its term. That strategy undoubtedly has benefitted not only the state of democracy in the country but also his own party and politics. Many important development projects now stand completed, a proof of his efficient governance. That, coupled with the shameless victimisation he has been subject to, provides further proof that he has paid the price for attempting to improve those wretched areas still declared forbidden for elected leaders of Pakistan for the last seven decades or so.

Here are a few examples of the daring strategies that Nawaz Sharif attempted to pursue and that ultimately became the reason for his orchestrated downfall.

1. He fulfilled his electoral promise of holding a trial for former dictator Pervez Musharraf on the charges of high treason. This was later revealed to be one of the main reasons behind Nawaz’s ouster.
2. He tried to stem the tide of religious extremism by hanging Mumtaz Qadri for his cold-blooded murder of Governor Salman Taseer. This was a bold step from the government, who were at the time under enormous pressure from various religious groups around the country. Unfortunately, this event was then later used by his opponents, who extended their support to some of these groups in order to pressurise his government and his party.
3. His government supported naming the physics centre of Quaid-e-Azam University after the renowned Pakistani Noble laureate Dr Abdus Salam, a move that garnered a lot of criticism due to Salam’s affiliation with the persecuted Ahmadi community. Even though the change in name never took place, the move was another ploy by Nawaz’s opponents to make him look soft on the subject of Ahmadis.
4. His government took the entire blame for the alleged deliberate change in the oath of parliamentarians, even though the said changes had been debated in the parliament which consisted of representatives from all parties. This controversy came in handy for his opponents who later used it to bring the entire country to a standstill through a charged and well provided sit-in. As this issue continues gain traction, even leading to the attempt on the interior minister’s life, it will continue to impede the PML-N in its ability to prepare for the upcoming elections.
5. Being an elected prime minister, Nawaz tried to take charge of the foreign policy traditionally controlled by the establishment by stating his desire to improve relations with India. However, his efforts were in vain, as the deep state made the population question his patriotism by discrediting him in the media.
6. Finally, his insistence on questioning the security policy of the country and his suggestions to change it, especially with respect to non-state actors, resulted in the so-called Dawn leaks, which proved to be the last nail in the coffin for Nawaz Sharif’s premiership.

This was the last blow for Nawaz Sharif. Fall he did but he was not out. He stood his ground and he countered the odd with his public support. Now he’s set to make a comeback and make his popularity among the masses count. And perhaps in the process we will see the birth of a new Nawaz Sharif. Whether this time he makes history, or becomes history, remains to be seen.

The writer is a former diplomat and currently practices law in Islamabad

Published in Daily Times, June 5th 2018.