Open Season

By Hafiz Inam | June 2020

The Panama Leaks scandal was the beginning of the end for the then ruling party in Pakistan as it jolted the political status quo of the country. Then Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif bore the brunt of the scandal as the leaks included him among the global leaders who himself or his family owned properties abroad. Thus, the decade-old allegation that he and his family had acquired properties abroad with black money was somehow corroborated by the Panama Leaks.

The scandal gave an opportunity to his political rivals, especially the PTI, to bash him for his alleged corrupt practices and question his legitimacy for the premiership. The hue and cry of opposition parties brought attention of the apex court to the matter. This eventually resulted in the ouster of Mian Nawaz Sharif from office in 2017 at the hands of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on corruption charges.
Since then the party has remained in hot waters and has failed to come out of the crises that emerged one by one. However, the biggest challenge for the party right now is the leadership crisis that is giving a headache to party workers and sympathizers who sincerely expect the reemergence of the PML-N on the political scene, at least in Punjab. Keeping in view the on going power struggle in the party, chances are that a new leadership in the party will surface before the general elections in 2023.

Sources privy to the Sharif family hint at the differences that had crept into the family long before Nawaz Sharif’s third stint of premiership began. It all started when the Sharifs went in exile to Saudi Arabia in 2000 under a deal with then Army Chief General Musharraf and left behind Hamza Shehbaz as a guarantee. Understandably, the decision of leaving behind Hamza as a sole representative of the party was harsh on Shahbaz Sharif but he accepted this fate. Later, when the Sharifs came in power again in 2013, the family of Nawaz Sharif got the lion’s share, especially Maryam Nawaz who was projected as an heir to the throne by the party. She was dubbed as a power-wielder within the government without holding any public office by political opponents. This triggered an internal tussle that has continued till today.

It is a known secret that the party has virtually split into two factions, especially after the apex court’s verdict regarding the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif was announced. Each of the factions is controlled by the families of both the Sharifs, respectively. On the one hand, Hamza Shahbaz – the Opposition Leader in the Punjab assembly – with his father’s consent strives for seizing a commanding position in the party while on the other, Maryam Nawaz is another contender for party leadership. Both groups try to outdo each other for assuming maximum clout in the party. The Hamza-led bloc believes in mending ties with the establishment to come to power whereas Maryam portrays herself as an anti-establishment voice vying for upholding civil supremacy in the country.

After the disqualification of the former prime minister, Shahbaz Sharif was in a better position to hold sway over party affairs as the elder brother was in prison. Maryam Nawaz, however, had different plans. In a bid to fill the void created by her father’s absence, Maryam Nawaz took the lead and championed her father’s narrative “give respect to vote” to attract party workers to her call. Her belligerent style and fiery speeches in support of civil supremacy in Pakistan brought her into the limelight. She proved her leadership skills in her father’s absence and could lead the party one day, but her imprisonment in the Avenfield reference case and the infamous Calibri font gaffe somehow nipped her political career in the bud.

Shahbaz Sharif is considered acceptable in the power corridors. His dilemma, however, is diehard fans of the PML-N who cannot equate him with Nawaz Sharif as their leader despite singing his praises as an architect of the modern Punjab. Although Shahbaz Sharif is the party president who is legally the head of the party, Nawaz Sharif is the name and face for party voters. It will not be surprising if Shahbaz Sharif, being aware of this harsh reality, puts all his eggs in the basket of the military junta.

Infighting within the PML-N hit the headlines again back in January 2020 when the PML-N offered unconditional support to the Army Amendment Act 2020 in both the National Assembly and the Senate. The message was conveyed in a party cabinet meeting under an oath taken from all party legislators that they would abide by the decision. Nonetheless, the idea of unconditional support was in contradiction to the mantra of civil supremacy trumpeted by Nawaz Sharif. Later, Khawaja Asif, Ayaz Sadiq and Rana Tanveer spilled the beans by confirming it was the decision of Nawaz Sharif. Consequently, the Maryam Nawaz-backed social media team of the PML-N lashed out at Ayaz Sadiq and Khawaja Asif and called them traitors. The former national assembly speaker, in a rebuttal, advised Maryam Nawaz to seek clarification from her father over his unconditional support offer. Such reaction from senior party leaders is a rare sight and underscored how demotivated they feel after the top leadership left them and the party in the lurch.

NS’s decision of going to London on medical grounds has given birth to rumours of his never returning to Pakistan under an alleged “understanding” with power brokers in the country. His journey from power to prison, and later to exile, has disheartened common party workers and ensuing power struggle within party ranks has resulted in a leadership vacuum that suits Shahbaz Sharif who is the opposition leader and the party president, and also enjoys loyalty from bigwigs including Ayaz Sadiq, Khawaja Asif and Rana Tanveer. Unfortunately, his fragile health, corruption cases and tilt towards the establishment restrict him from gaining unanimous support in the party. So far the game is open for every contender. Time will reveal who will win the race by outperforming the other.

Region/Lahore

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