Bhutto-Sharifs love and hate

Bhuttos and Sharifs have a history of distrust since the late 70s. At times they tried to overcome their differences but deep wounds don’t go so easily and often resurfaced with some fresh ones as well.

What we are witnessing today is the transfer of the same politics of distrust to the next generation instead of a new political approach with a new leadership. The recent row between Maryam Nawaz and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari clearly reflects the same old way of attacking others though the latter did show some restraint.

Their politics of love and hate against each other has not only damaged the political and democratic process in the county but also allowed the powerful quarters to make inroads into the system and use them against each other.

Since elder Sharif and Zardari still have firm control; Maryam, Bilawal are practically hostage to the past politics and finding it difficult to come out for both political and other reasons. It is not easy for either of the two to disagree or dissent from the position taken by their ‘elders’. This exactly what happened when during the meeting of the heads of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), at the farmhouse of PML-N leader Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, former premier Nawaz Sharif and former president Asif Ali Zardari differed with each other over the question of resignation from the assemblies. Things went from bad to worse when the latter asked the former that if he was in favour of ‘long march’ he should come and lead the march, something which annoyed Nawaz.

Now, in such a circumstance neither Bilawal, who at least on paper is chairman and Zardari, co-chairman and Maryam, who despite being the vice president of the PML-N but practically de facto leader in the absence of NS, could hardly do anything. So, it seems that the elders are still not ready to give enough power to the next generation to take decisions on their own and this is where the problem lies in both the parties.

While the PML-N and the PPP still have strong roots in Punjab and in Sindh respectively they both suffered because of their politics against each other rather than for the people.

It also appears as their physical or virtual presence in the meetings have also brought adverse effect on the political approach of Bilawal and Maryam as like any other party leaders they too followed the line of their fathers rather than applying their own mind and going for more acceptable options.

The PML-N has more problems than PPP. There is no challenger in the PPP on the question of political narrative or over leadership. It is Asif Ali Zardari, not only on paper but also in reality. Same could not be said about the PML-N where though the party looked fully intact and behind Nawaz Sharif, the brother Shahbaz Sharif and his son Hamza do dissent within the PML-N.

The dynastic politics has its own flaws as well. It is not necessary that all in the family think alike and apply the same mind and political approach. It is also not necessary that they have the same charisma. At the same time it is also possible that the younger generation emerged as much stronger than their predecessors.

It is also a myth that people blindly followed the dynasty and the case study of both Gandhis and Bhuttos clearly showed the decline and fall.

If we compare the fall of dynastic politics in India and Pakistan, one could see the decline and fall of Gandhis after the assassination of former Indian premier Indira Gandhi. Same happened in Pakistan after the assassination of former PM Benazir Bhutto.

While both Maryam and Bilawal are politically matured enough and have seen tragedies and trauma in their own way they perhaps may struggle a much longer to find a place in power politics if they could not be able to remove the misgivings and bring new approach in their respective politics.

It took Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif almost two decades to sign the ‘Charter of Democracy’ in 2006, and they both admitted the past mistakes committed by both and the way the establishment used them.

This gap of distrust allowed the third option and it was filled by ‘cricketer-turn-politician, Imran Khan, who formed his own party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in 1995 and became the prime minister in 2018.

The recent differences between Maryam and Bilawal if widens may benefit Imran Khan to create a record of becoming the first prime minister in the country to complete a full term in office.

The writer is a senior columnist and analyst of Geo, The News and Jang

Twitter:@MazharAbbasGEO