Like all ‘ Sarkari Leagues ‘ it seems reckoning time has arrived for the PML(N). Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif of Gawalmandi, the ‘Political Launch’ of the usurper Zia-ul-Haq, is absconding while court cases are ongoing at home. The choices are clear, either return the money or forever keep running for cover, it is flesh or blood time. On the other hand, kid brother Shahbaz Sharif is trying to strike a deal and survive politically to fight in the future.
For its economic sustainability, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan needs all its looted money back in the kitty. Those who have been in authority and power have to provide money trails to hold on to their ill-gotten wealth otherwise face banishment forever. Asif Ali Zardari is willing to part with his loot in order to create space for his children (Bilawal, Asifa) but Nawaz is unwilling, he desires to fight back relying on his ‘Arsenal of Corruption’ which includes audio and visual recordings as well. The Sharifs and their gang firmly believe that financial success in the land of the pure can only be achieved through corrupt practices, for them it’s a way of life. In the words of Mian Muhammad Sharif of Jatti Umra, the founder of the ‘Sharif Dynasty’, “Everyone has a price, pay and get your job done”.
The PML(N) was launched to contain Bhutto’s PPP at all costs. As there were no charges of financial corruption against Bhutto, he had to be physically eliminated through the legal process, creating space for the anti-Bhutto forces while extending the misrule of the dictator. In connivance, they neutralized all the democratic gains of the ‘Awami Era’ together with bringing about the collapse of the civilian institutions. The partyless elections of 1985 started the ‘ Degenerative Process ‘ of the society that continues unabated. The decline has to be reversed together with institutional rebuilding. The old players have to be booted out for the nation to move forward. A massive clean-up operation is required to remove the dead wood in most government departments to make them functional. Even the appointments in the higher judiciary have to be reviewed.
In the recently held by-election in Lahore NA 133, a resurgent PPP emerged while there was a sharp decline in the PML(N) vote bank. There was a huge anti PML(N) vote in its home ground which must have wrung emergency bells. The continued absence of the leader is also hurting the party. Zardari is playing his cards well by asking Nawaz to return and lead the anti-government movement. Fearing conviction, the PML(N) leadership continues to rely on adjournments; there have been bails but no exoneration. Being a party of interests with no ideology, it seriously lacks street power. There can be desertions if the leadership is convicted before the next elections scheduled for 2023. In the decade of the eighties and nineties all political forces were aligned against PPP being the genuine voice of the people. Benazir fought gallantly but eventually fell. Zardari, the smart ‘Political Entrepreneur’, encashed the ‘Bhutto Legacy’ by building his own empire, but in the process the party lost its progressive spirit.
In order to remain in the arena the PML(N) has to part with its extra pound of flesh which grew while the party was enjoying power and the associated perks. Overeating can be deadly which should be avoided for long term survival. These bulging bellies carry the wealth of the nation, which has to be recovered.
Imran Khan’s crusade against corruption has been exemplary despite the sluggish legal system. Those who made hay while in power have finally been made accountable. The accountability process will now continue. The era of ‘Politics for Business’ has to end. In the current scenario, the political forces are now being aligned against ‘corrupt politicians’ which may finally bring the ‘Zia Degenerative Process’ to a close. Business and politics has been a deadly combination which should have been checked much earlier to contain the losses but it was allowed to continue despite the available information gathered by the agencies. Mainly due to blatant kickbacks, Pakistan faces today the worst energy crisis with unaffordable power and gas prices. Even the CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor) has not been spared.
If Imran Khan is able to complete his term, he stands a good chance of forming governments in the provinces and the centre with the PPP as the major opposition. The PML(N) has already reduced itself to being a provincial party, it may be able to sit in the opposition benches in Punjab together with the PPP. To take the establishment head-on for a Sarkari party whose entire leadership faces serious cases of corruption is not easy. Despite the best efforts of Shahbaz for a negotiated way forward, the party stands divided. The fissures unless addressed will only widen over time. Real politics requires genuine players which parties like the PML(N) and the PML(Q) do not possess. The future holds promise for the PTI and the PPP.
In order to remain in the arena the PML(N) has to part with its extra pound of flesh which grew while the party was enjoying power and the associated perks. Overeating can be deadly which should be avoided for long term survival. These bulging bellies carry the wealth of the nation, which has to be recovered.
