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.