Whatever possessed PML-N President Mian Shahbaz Sharif to float the idea of a national government was clearly not debated inside his own party. Otherwise PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb wouldn’t have been caught off guard and forced to ‘clarify’ that the party president’s views were just ‘passing remarks’ based on his own personal opinion. All this raises a number of very important questions that PML-N will no longer be able to brush under the carpet. One, what could have caused the party president to deviate so sharply from the party line, that too without warning or consulting with his colleagues? Two, if Shahbaz Sharif is indeed the party president and Marriyum Aurangzeb its official spokesperson, then shouldn’t the latter’s statements be based on the former’s instructions? Three, if there is such wide difference between the lines adopted by Shahbaz and Marriyum, then who is the spokeswoman taking orders from at this point? And four, since Shahbaz’s narrative now departs so sharply from that of his brother and PML-N supreme leader, Nawaz Sharif, what justification does the little brother have to continue his role in the party?All things considered, Shahbaz’s remarks betray a sense of frustration. It seems he’s bending over backwards to dispel the perception that he, just like the rest of his party, also condones the path of confrontation with the so called establishment. Yet in expressing his feelings in this way he’s given the impression of factionalism in his own party and also drawn ridicule not just from the government but also from PPP, which is engaged in a war of words of its own with the PDM (Pakistan Democratic Movement). Now, as a result of Shahba’s antics, further cracks are expected to emerge in the opposition alliance, which will please PPP no doubt but it will please and help PTI a lot more.The developments of the last few months, especially since Nawaz Sharif upped the ante and directly attacked senior military officials, leaving Shahbaz to run from pillar to post to dilute the damage as much as possible, has no doubt considerably weakened PML-N. And, for the good of the party, senior members would surely have tried to get the two to see eye to eye. But since that hasn’t happened so far, nor is it likely to happen in the foreseeable future — otherwise Shahbaz would never have let such controversial statements through his lips — it seems things cannot go on like this much longer. And seeing that his own party isn’t too impressed by his position, and there are forces within PML-N who can get the official storyline to dismiss his remarks, perhaps its best if he steps down from his position as party president. *