Return to jail
in power show
Former prime
minister Nawaz Sharif returned to Kot Lakhpat Jail late evening on May 7, 2019,
after his six weeks bail for medical treatment ran out and his plea for
permanent bail and permission to go abroad for treatment was turned down by the
Supreme Court. He now faces seven years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1.5
billion imposed by an accountability court in the Al-Azizia reference. But on
his way back to jail from his Jati Umra residence, Nawaz Sharif enjoyed a
reception by his loyal workers that must have gladdened his heart and
encouraged thoughts along the lines that he was far from finished yet, despite
his legal troubles. Thousands of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers
lined the route, passionately greeting their leader and showering his vehicle
with rose petals. It was a power show to rival the memorable receptions for
political leaders in our history challenging the efforts of the powers-that-be
to relegate them to the dustbin of history. Judging by the turnout and
enthusiasm of the PML-N workers, that dustbin seemed a long way off. Earlier, a
jail staff delegation reportedly reached Jati Umra to take Nawaz Sharif back to
jail but they were rebuffed by being told that he would reach the jail himself.
They then delivered a letter to the effect that he must reach the jail before
sunset. However, the massed crowds of workers made Nawaz Sharif’s progress
extremely slow, tending towards a crawl. Punjab Information Minister Samsam
Bokhari’s warning that escorting a prisoner to jail by a ‘rally’ was against
the court’s orders and if it was attempted, the government would be compelled
to take action, was completely ignored by the charged PML-N workers. It appears
better sense prevailed in the government’s counsels and the rally was allowed
to proceed unimpeded. Earlier, the Punjab police had turned down a PML-N
request for security for the rally/procession, but mercifully, no adverse
outcome resulted. Perhaps seeing the snail’s pace at which the procession was
moving, the Home Department instructed the Kot Lakhpat Jail Superintendent to
receive Nawaz Sharif even late in the night, overriding his adherence to the
jail rules of shutting the doors at 11:00 pm. The government’s wise and
pragmatic handling of the occasion prevented any unpleasantness.
Judging by Nawaz
Sharif’s rousing send-off, the PML-N is far from a finished force in its stronghold
Punjab. But this geographical fact, plus the recent reorganisation of the top tiers
of the party also point towards what is by now an irrefutable fact: PML-N today
has shrunk from a countrywide to a Punjab-only party. This parallels the
shrinking of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) from a national to a Sindh-only
party. With the two main opposition parties thus confined to their respective
single province bases, Pakistan’s polity appears to be fracturing along
provincial lines. That could spell trouble in future for the unity and
integrity of the federation. As to the PML-N’s leadership reorganisation, it is
obviously, and not surprisingly, tilted towards Punjab and the Sharifs, not
necessarily in that order. The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) government has
had a relatively easy time in office despite all the criticism heaped on its
head, particularly in regard to its handling of the economy. This has only been
possible because the opposition is not united. The PML-N and PPP, despite being
pushed against the wall by the incumbents and establishment, have not so far
managed to overcome their mutual antipathies and differences to mount a united,
concerted opposition move against the incumbents. But the way the PTI
government’s credibility has crumbled in the relatively short space of nine months,
and the unrelenting pressure on the two main opposition parties at the hands of
the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and other state institutions, such a ‘honeymoon’
for the PTI government is unlikely to last long.
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