Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday directed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders to adopt a strict stance in the wake of arrests of party candidates by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). According to media reports, Nawaz gave the directions to the party leaders through a phone call from London. Reports suggested that he had also telephoned Shehbaz Sharif, the party’s president, and discussed the election campaign with him. Regarding the arrest of PML-N candidate against Chaudhry Nisar from NA-59, Qamarul Islam, Nawaz directed party leaders to evolve a plan to hold country-wide protests. The aggressive posturing by the PML-N suggest that the party is expecting the accountability watchdog to heighten its campaign against it ahead of the elections. Published in Daily Times, June 27th 2018.