Ch Nisar’s enragement: A silver lining to avert estrangement

ISLAMABAD: The ‘divorce’ between long, blissful political bedfellows--ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif/Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan--who are equally bitter against each other for some time, now seems to be away from a mere official pronouncement from either side.

But there is a silver lining: new PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif can and may play a role in saving the marriage. However, the raging sound and fury is steadily diminishing his relevance to extinguish the fire. In the past, he has successfully done firefighting, influencing both sides to bury the hatchet.

Currently, he appears to be in a no-win situation; he can’t keep his trusted friend -- Chaudhry Nisar -- silent, making him understand the difficult conditions, and can’t displease or go against his elder brother, and niece, Maryam, who are being put on the mat by the former interior minister. However, if he is to remain relevant in ending this tussle, he ought to act fast before the relationship ultimately crashes.

It is unfortunate for the Sharif duo and the PML-N that this fight is aggravating, making the party a laughing stock, thrilling its opponents, when they are in a deep soup with clear chances that their hardships will swell manifold in the days to come especially during the tenure of the upcoming caretaker government.

Meanwhile, apart from this awkward state, the PML-N, as a whole, is united in the face of severe efforts to crack it. Only a few ‘electable’ have left it and some more are waiting in the wings for greener pastures. Even those saying goodbye to the PML-N are scared of their fate at the hustings particularly in Punjab, where it relishes an unbeatable scenario. A predominant majority of these turncoats are likely to contest the general elections as independents so that there is a surfeit of such winners in the new legislature to spawn a hung Parliament.

Who is the bigger loser in the confrontation between Nawaz Sharif/Maryam and Chaudhry Nisar? At present, it is the PML-N, which is suffering the most, when it desperately needs to close its ranks and speak with one voice. In case of final split, the ex-interior minister will be at a disadvantageous position as he will be a lone ranger, a position that hardly carries any weight in the political/parliamentary arena.

What happened to a plethora of politicians, including even some decent, honest and principled figures who deserted their parties needs no elaboration. They remained political orphans for the rest of their lives and found no political party in which they could adjust themselves. Chaudhry Nisar certainly doesn’t want such a destiny to embrace.

Despite encountering heavy odds, the PML-N is going to stay in the political/parliamentary pitch as a formidable force, and it can’t simply be wished away. However, it will not be a bigger loser if Chaudhry Nisar finally says adieu to it. Considering the politics and temperament of both Nawaz Sharif and Chaudhry Nisar, it is a definite conclusion that neither side will take the lead in leaving each other.

Will the former interior minister contest the next election as an independent or the PML-N cardholder? If their relations remain tense and fractured as they exist now, he will be in the race for more than two seats of the national and Punjab assemblies as independent. When he says he doesn’t need the party’s sponsorship, he gives the message that he is not dependent on its ticket to win. The next important decision that the PML-N will have to take will be whether or not to field its nominees against him.

Chaudhry Nisar and former information minister Pervaiz Rashid have often publicly locked horns. Whatever Pervaiz Rashid says is taken as the voice of Nawaz Sharif/Maryam because of his closeness to them specifically his unflinching commitment with their post-disqualification narrative. He has no ambiguity that the ex-interior minister has no future in the PML-N and will not be awarded its tickets.

However, the prime minister’s house has made it clear that the decisions to award party tickets will be taken by a PML-N special board, and not one person, after discussions. The appeasing statement may be somewhat comforting for Chaudhry Nisar.

The biggest complaint that Chaudhry Nisar has repeatedly articulated against Nawaz Sharif is that he was either not consulted during the Panama crisis or his advice was ignored that landed the PML-N in deep trouble, and that “toadies” led the former prime minister to this woeful setting. The best forum to air these feelings was the party and not public platforms.

The former premier has much more grave grievances against Chaudhry Nisar. Nawaz Sharif feels that when his longtime most trusted confidante should have stood with him as a rock, he has tried hard to ditch him further and has not bothered even once to reject and denounce a slew of judicial verdicts, targeting him, and family's ceaseless one-sided accountability. Such expectation from an unwavering buddy is kosher and genuine.

The situation started aggravating when Chaudhry Nisar began openly airing his “left out” sentiments, at times responding to certain remarks made by some PML-N leaders, and at others, putting their comments in the right perspective from his point of view. However, an apt example that skipped his mind is that of Raza Rabbani, who didn’t share most views of his political boss, Asif Ali Zardari, for a long time but never attackingly took exception to them or the party policy. He is much more injured and annoyed than Chaudhry Nisar.