Daily Times

Nawaz Sharif is behind bars once more. This is where he will spend the next seven years; his appeal notwithstanding. All things considered the outcome could have been worse. For the thrice-elected Prime Minister has been convicted in just one of two pending corruption cases against him: the Al-Azizia Steel Mills. He has been acquitted in the Flagship Investment reference. Though the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is all set to appeal this.

In the immediate short-term, what this means for Pakistan’s political landscape remains to be seen. As far as the PMLN is concerned — this is a witch-hunt. Nothing more. Nothing less. Indeed, Maryam Nawaz has already vowed to fight for justice for her father; while taking to Twitter to warn of turning tides and changing times in what is widely seen as a veiled reference to allegations of how the ruling PTI swept to power in a so-called engineered election.

Local media reports detail how the Sharif brothers have devised party policy going forward. This revolves around agitating both inside and outside Parliament against the Imran Khan government. But falling short of moving to topple it. The official PMLN line is that the party would prefer to see the regime come undone by its own hand.

In reality, however, such a strategy likely has more to do with how Shehbaz Sharif is currently under investigation by (NAB) and could himself end up in jail; with Maryam on bail. Thus with the top leadership out of the game for now the PMLN has set up an advisory council to run party affairs. While several of those to whom it should have fallen to fight the good fight have fled the country. Thereby raising important questions as to the process of determining who is put on the Exit Control List (ECL) and who is not. Another reason for refraining from unseating the current government is that the PPP is facing similar problems of its own. Asif Ali Zardari has to wait until the end of the first week of next month for the courts to determine his fate in the fake bank account case.

Of course, in a democratic set-up due process must reign supreme. Meaning that there ought to be no room to even think about taking to the streets to protest a judicial verdict. That is what the appeal system is for. Though this naturally assumes an unflawed process. The PMLN say that they have been on the receiving end of anything but. Particularly in the run-up to the general elections. And then there are repeated charges of how the elder Sharif fell afoul of the military establishment when he dared to put Gen (rtd) Pervez Musharraf on trial for treason; reneging on a deal brokered under the then PPP government to afford the former COAS safe and honourable exit from the country. Thus for Pakistan to be able to claim true due process — such serious accusations must be fully probed.

If they are not, the country’s democracy will be compromised. And Nawaz Sharif will be able to convincingly cast himself in the role of a true martyr.  *

Published in Daily Times, December 25^th 2018.