Pakistani politics never fails to amaze those who closely follow it. After almost three years, former Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan remembered that he’s still an MPA-designate and chose to take oath at the Punjab Assembly out of the blue. The reason? A potential ordinance planned by the PTI government is on its way which could limit the time period required to take parliamentary oath with a failure resulting in disqualification. Nisar has had an interesting political career and was once considered one of the closest aides of former premier Nawaz Sharif. Their ugly fallout some four years ago with the Panama Papers case factoring in changed things for the worse in keeping PML-N united. While it’s a known fact that the elder Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz despise Nisar and consider him responsible for the Panama Papers debacle, his strong political standing in his constituency and friendly ties with the powers-that-be cannot be ignored. Historically, Nisar remained crucial in advising the elder Sharif on several matters, including the appointment of former President General (rtd) Pervez Musharraf as the Army chief back in 1998. Right until the Panama Papers crisis, Nisar enjoyed complete control over domestic affairs and was considered the eyes and ears of the House of Sharif. After the souring of relations, he did try to reconcile with Nawaz on several occasions through intermediaries but in vain. His sudden interest in taking oath is a matter being closely watched by political pundits across the board. Though the incoming ordinance is indeed a major push, his claim that he’s not involved in any ‘political games’ during a press briefing held at Lahore is being taken with a pinch of salt. Notably, his oath is allegedly on hold since the Punjab Assembly’s speaker and deputy speaker weren’t available, a couple of high court petitions pending on the matter of his oath taking notwithstanding. Hence, the assembly’s secretary claimed that legalities are being checked within the next 48 hours before any consideration. Perhaps, this is the right approach to tackle the issue as any contempt of court could land the assembly’s administration in trouble. After all, it’s an odd and unique instance. As a matter of fact, former Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who ran away to London on the pretext of medical reasons while still in power, never took oath as a senator when he was re-elected in March 2018. Maybe it’s high time that a rule be introduced for members of Parliament to take oath within a designated period to ensure that they are serious enough in legislating and representing the public. *