Daily Times

Contrary to my expectations Mian sahab is nowhere to be seen. I had predicted, based on information from “reliable” sources within PML (N), that Mian sahab would come out all guns blazing after the Chaliswan of Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, and would make life somewhat difficult for the current government. My senior colleagues obviously disagreed, and some even rolled their eyes, at my naivety and complete lack of understanding of N-league’s politics. Some even attempted to explain why they thought Mian sahab would go quiet in a hope to strike a deal with the all powerful military establishment, and wouldn’t even think of re-entering the political arena without assurances from certain quarters. Their theory, in a nutshell, was that N-League represents a conglomerate of traders who were brought together to maintain influence over the political landscape by the establishment, and there is no ideological base that binds them together.

Since coming out of jail, Nawaz Sharif has kept quiet and is now scared to even take his own political struggle forward. It’s quite amusing listening to my friends from N-League, when they are making an effort to tell me (with a serious face) that his silence is part of the larger political plan, and he is waiting for the Government to get buried under the weight of its own blunders and when the ground will be shaking under the present government’s feet, Mian sahab would walk in- the Knight in shining armour, and everything would magically fall into place.

So if silence was the strategy and you didn’t have an appetite for hardship, then why all the trouble? Why did you start a campaign for the sanctity of the vote? Why was a fight picked up with the establishment? If ceding space and running away was the grand plan, why were Daniyals, Talals and Nehals of the party hung out to dry? Why encourage journalists and other members of the civil society to stick their neck out for ideals of democracy in the hope that you were standing beside them. If silence was the plan all along, why was Chaudhary Nisar sidelined? Why no heed paid to Shahbaz Sharif’s argument of non-confrontation? We were made to believe that the fight was much bigger than mere politics, and it would determine the fate of the entire democratic dispensation of the country.

Mariam who took a very hardline after the SC ruling on Panama, and in run up to the elections is nowhere to be seen. Not a word from her after coming out of jail. Wasn’t she the chosen one, and burdened with the task to take her father’s struggle forward? In all of this, I must admit the boys played well, they were not only able to contain the fallout of N-League’s confrontational politics, but also managed to disconnect the broadband connection from Jati Umra. Hence, fell silent the most lethal weapon at N-League’s disposal — Mariam’s Twitter Account. If only she had internet, we would see a completely different N-League, a party gunning for the Government and cashing in on numerous blunders only in the first hundred days.

So where does this leave N-League? The party workers are disgruntled and demotivated, the second tier leadership is running around like headless chickens. The ones who have no other option are staying within the party and those who do have options are already weighing them

So where does this leave N-League? The party workers are disgruntled and demotivated, the second tier leadership is running around like headless chickens. The ones who have no other option are staying within the party and those who do have options are already weighing them. In all fairness, one can’t blame the workers and the leaders. They were looking up to Mian sahab to lead the fight. But Mian sahab being Mian sahab, only wanted to protect himself and his family. Thus proving right, a lot of critics, that N-league is a fiefdom, it starts with elder Mian sahib and ends at his brother’s feet. As it stands today, Shahbaz Sharif is in jail, Mariam has no internet connection and Mian sahab is just being Mian sahab. And in all of this, Khan is having a field day.

So what is Nawaz Sharif’s game plan? He is waiting for quite a few people to retire and will then try to mend fences with the establishment. Meanwhile, Khan sahab can do what he likes. He is hoping that the current government ends up making enough mistakes that even those who helped them get here, start having second thoughts. I am not sure how well this will work, I always thought that a political leader draws strength from his political workers and doesn’t wait for the winks and nods from the powers to be. But again, what do I know. The longer Mian sahab stays quiet the impression that his struggle was basically a fight for him and his immediate family would grow, and perhaps my seniors were right. When it comes to politics, Mian sahab’s political ideology is simple. It is: me, myself and I.

The writer is a Pakistan based journalists and anchor-person

Published in Daily Times, December 21^st 2018.