With the meeting of the PML-N Central Working Committee in Lahore on Tuesday – during which former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was nominated lifetime Quaid of the party, while his younger brother Shahbaz Sharif was named interim president – an apparent show of unity within the party and amongst the Sharif family has been sent out. Nawaz Sharif himself nominated Shahbaz for the post of interim president which is to be verified later at a full meeting of the party. This will set up Shahbaz Sharif as possibly the future prime minster of Pakistan. In his address at the CWC, Nawaz Sharif continued with the strong criticism of the judiciary, as he has done on numerous occasions over the past two months. He said that those who abrogated the constitution or locked up judges were currently outside the country, safely in exile. In his own address to a rally at Pattoki on the same day, Shahbaz Sharif referred to the PML-N’s development works and the changes that have been brought about during his tenure, including an end to loadshedding. Continuing this theme of family harmony, Nawaz had also praised the Punjab government’s development efforts.
Political analysts now see the PML-N following a well-thought-out political strategy as the 2018 election approaches, with Nawaz drawing in the sympathy vote by speaking of injustice and wrongful removal from power, and Shahbaz aiming to collect votes on the basis of public services rendered by his party. For quite some time there have been reports of differences within the party on how to deal with the challenges faced by the party. Shahbaz has always been cautious in speaking out against other institutions, whether now or under the Musharraf era, and is said to have advised his brother to refrain from that as well. However, he has recently criticised NAB in fairly strong terms as the indications come in that there may be an attempt to close the accountability net around some of his key aides in Punjab. This development has been seen by some as something that could bring the brothers nearer.
For the moment then, the situation doesn’t appear as disturbing inside the House of Sharif as many may have believed. The question is whether once in power Shahbaz Sharif will continue to adhere to the policies of Nawaz Sharif, which he has sometimes disagreed with. Speaking of the party itself, the absence at the vital meeting of Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan – believed to be close to Shahbaz – opens up some questions about discord. Only the coming months will tell how the game plays out from here. But for now, the PML-N and the Sharifs can be seen standing together for a new election campaign, which has assumed significant proportions.