How the Sharifs differ and whose policy will prevail?

ISLAMABAD: Mian Nawaz Sharif is pretty sure that his younger brother -- Shabaz Sharif -- will never stab him in the back.

Since long they differ on the issue of how to deal with military establishment on matters denting civilian supremacy. However, both the brothers never let this difference of opinion create a rift between the two.

Previously, this difference of opinion was restricted to their private discussions.

Of late, this difference has become public with Shahbaz Sharif and his elder son -- Hamza Shabaz -- speaking publicly against the policy of “confrontation” by Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz.

Without leaving any doubt in anyone’s mind, Hamza Shahbaz in his recent interview with Geo News tried to prove that his and his father's policy of pragmatism is the only option to secure the future of democracy in Pakistan. As is being done by the opposition, he gave the impression that Nawaz Sharif is pursuing the policy of “confrontation” with the military establishment.

Such voices in the Sharif family encouraged many others within the PML-N to prove Nawaz Sharif a “confrontationist” yet they all want to en-cash his popularity to secure N-Leagues possible success in the 2018 elections. They want to forget the past and also expect from Nawaz Sharif to let bygones be bygones.

Nawaz Sharif, however, does not want to forget how he has been removed from the office for the third time in 2017. He in view of the pressures from certain elements of the establishment though have been making compromises on the issue of civilian supremacy during his recent four year rule, yet he never let his idealism die down.

Some believe that his disqualification has furthered his idealism and now he wants to pursue much tougher objective of attaining civilian supremacy, which is seen by others as politics of “confrontation” with institutions.

Many in the PML-N including Shahbaz Sharif feel that this policy of Nawaz Sharif does not suit the PML-N. They believe that forgetting the past will help PML-N win the 2018 elections whereas the policy of “confrontation” will create serious problems for the PML-N as well as the Sharif family from the powers that matter.

Within the PML-N, Shahbaz Sharif has always been the advocate of staying on the right side of the establishment even if it involves serious compromises on the principles of civilian supremacy. Now he wants it more than before because he sees his chance as the Prime Minister of Pakistan in 2018.

Within the Sharif family, everyone knows that Shahbaz Sharif is next to Nawaz Sharif. The point of contention in the family is that who is number three in the family? Maryam Nawaz or Hamza Shahbaz. Nawaz Sharif before 2013 was keen to groom Hamza Sharif as his political heir but later he changed his mind by letting his daughter to emerge as the future leader of the PML-N.

Soon after the 2013 elections, some of the PML-N leaders had suggested Nawaz Sharif to get Maryam Nawaz entered into the National Assembly through women specific seats for MNAs. Then the elder Sharif, according to a source, said that Maryam had nothing to do with politics. But the later years saw Maryam getting his father’s tacit support to emerge as his political successor.

While the Maryam-Hamza issue is expected to keep buzzing within the Sharif family, their immediate division is how to go into elections. With mounting pressure from within the PML-N, Nawaz Sharif is expected to give the issue a serious thought. 

Although he is seen as a “confrontationist” even by some of his own family members, there are many in the PML-N who insist that Nawaz Sharif had shown a lot of patience during the last four years in rule despite seeing certain obvious violations of civilian supremacy’s redlines.

During these years Nawaz Sharif let Musharraf go off the hook despite his strong desire to try the former dictator for abrogating the constitution; he knows a lot about the alleged conspiracy behind 2014 sit-in but never spoke his mind or initiated any proceeding to avoid displeasing the establishment; he also avoided talking about pressures that he has been facing during the second half of the 2016 from a key figure.