In a dramatic turn of events yesterday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) suspended the sentences against former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter and presumed party heir Maryam, as well as son-in-law, Capt (rtd) Safdar. Their appeals are still pending but the trio has been released from prison. Justice Athar Minallah ruled that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) failed to establish a financial link between the former PM and the London-based Avenfield properties. The anti-corruption watchdog, for its part, relied heavily on its own rules; under which defendants are assumed guilty until proven innocent. All of which prompted Justice Minallah to note that the prosecution appeared to be banking on the courts keeping Nawaz behind bars on “mere presumption”. NAB will likely proceed to the Supreme Court (SC) to appeal the IHC order. And in the meanwhile, the people of Pakistan are trying to make sense of this development. Especially considering that the popular view – held by both supporters and detractors alike — is that the elder Sharif was the target of a politically motivated witch-hunt. For, among other misdemeanours, reneging on the Musharraf-safe-exit deal by putting the former military strongman on trial for treason. Thus Imran Khan has been viewed across the great political divide as the security establishment’s man for the top job. Indeed, recent PPP moves in which the latter did not oppose his nomination for the presidency suggest to some that the party is keen to keep on the right side of the new premier given its own troubles with NAB. Pundits are keen to point out that had this ‘verdict’ been delivered ahead of this summer’s elections, the outcome would likely have been different. That it comes now has led many to conclude that the judiciary is under less duress than previously; to keep the Sharifs out of the great game. The flip side of which contends that the move may ensure that Khan toes the line. A spectacular double bluff of sorts. What is, however, not open to speculation, is that this is good news for the PMLN. The party sees itself as being entirely vindicated. And, for now, that means more than any short-term concrete gains. For with Nawaz out on bail, it can easily pull the moral high ground swiftly from under the PTI chief’s (bare) feet. Looking to the immediate future, this will allow the PMLN to reposition itself as a viable opposition party no longer reliant on the grand alliance-minus-PPP formula. Not least because it will pave the way for the former King and all his (wo)men to take the lead in agitating against the new government’s parliamentary panel constituted to probe allegations of poll-rigging. For while the elder Sharif has been barred from centre-stage politics — he has never been completely in the wings. That being said, the PMLN would do well not to squander this to play a constitutional role as the opposition. PMLN should pursue the politics of justice not vengeance after the father-daughter duo has earned much goodwill. From the way that they both voluntarily returned to the country knowing that, in doing so, they would end up in jail. This is to say nothing of the tragedy that saw neither having the chance to say goodbye to Begum Kulsoom Nawaz. In short, they have demonstrated far more gumption than the country’s last military dictator. And now it is time to put democracy first. For this is the only battle that Pakistan ought to be engaged in. * Published in Daily Times, September 20th 2018.