With a fast switch to picking holes in former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, the PML-N appears to have found yet another dark horse. There are no more talks of leading a political storm to the capital. Nor is the former first family trudging through the streets to rally against the so-called military crutches. For, the fiery Maryam and her brigade of fawners are all up in arms against the re-entry of the estranged senior leader. What a downhill ride from serving as a de facto prime minister to being reduced to a sheer outcast! It is no secret that despite his 34-year-old run with the Lahori Lions, the former security head had a rather tumultuous relationship with his boss during his last tenure. May it be his consistent failures in peace-mongering with the arch-rivals, PPP, his Alice-in-Wonderland romantic notions about the tribal terror threat or more stupendously, his warnings about Nawaz having to face the music in Panama case, odds were never in the Chakri leader’s favour. Another key short-circuiting remained the hard feelings harboured by the former first lady that dated back to the days of her crusade against General Musharraf. Probably, a key reason why the niece has never kept her cold ties with Mr Nisar under wraps. Luckily for him, the eccentric politician still enjoys a soft corner in his erstwhile friend, Shahbaz Sharif. And why wouldn’t they? Quite adamant in not adhering to dirty politics that centre around attacks on military leadership; their joint mantra is that of reconciliation. Numerous times have the two acted as a buffer between Senior Sharif’s stinging rhetoric and the increasingly furious militablishment. Who can forget their hushed powwows with General Raheel Sharif or the even greatly obscured confab with General Kayani? With Nisar’s resurgence from his political hibernation, there could not be a greater sign of a flick of the reins. Something that was bound to not sit well with the PMLN’s Vice President. The deafening silence has now been replaced with a tirade against the jeep man for not being a part of the PML-N. This renunciation had come on the heels of Khaqan Abbasi claiming there now remained no room left for him in the party. The last two days have seen prominent lawmakers jump on television screens to make their anti-Nisar sentiments loud and clear. Ah! The ironic crumbling of the fortune cookie! Yet, there’s still more. Had the opposition party only appeared determined to kick their former top dog in his guts, the fight could well be understood as a penalty for disloyalty. After all, he had ditched the party at a time when his contributions were needed the most. Nevertheless, by calling Shahbaz’s PDM ice-breaker a dinner by the Leader of the Opposition that had no bearing whatsoever on the opposition umbrella, Maryam has taken a phenomenal leap. Plainly put, it is nothing but a deftly crafted scheme to throw the former chief minister into a tizzy. Speculations about the power balance shifting are already holding water. With this very public family spat, the upcoming days are, undoubtedly, a pivotal juncture for Senior Sharif’s role in the game. Whether he has what it takes to mount the considerably wild horse remains to be seen. For now, the ugly family divide is out in the open! *