Daily Times

Pakistan Muslim League — Nawaz (PMLN) is in trouble. So much so that it seems that the party is considering pulling Chaudhry Nisar back into its den. The way recent events have played out, the party needs to band together and bringing senior leadership back into the fold won’t hurt.

Party workers have been trying to convince the elder Sharif to meet Nisar. And their efforts may actually be worth the trouble they are going through. PMLN’s broken factions, if joined together, could have helped the party grab a good number more seats in Northern Punjab than it did during the 2018 general elections.

Nisar’s absence has created a definite gap in the PMLN ranks. However, this lone wolf is not one to succeed on his own and the disappointing performance at the polls proves it. Neither Nisar nor the party is capable of gaining a strong footing on their own. Together, they may be able to fight against the odds.

With by-elections on the horizon, it is important that Nawaz heeds the words of his party workers and brings Nisar back. The Punjab Assembly would have looked a lot different had the two worked out their differences.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is not looking to slow down after its incredible performance at the 2018 polls. In the upcoming by-elections, Khan’s party could once more spell trouble for the Sharifs.

The party needs its senior leadership now more so than ever before. And if Nawaz can get Nisar back in the PMLN, he may revive the confidence of PML-N’s bewildered party workers, who are unsure of the party’s future.  *

Published in Daily Times, August 7^th 2018.