Choppy waters

Nawaz Sharif's interview to Dawn and his subsequent statements defending and justifying his remarks regarding the Mumbai attacks of 2008 have had unforeseen consequences. On the one hand, there are intriguing glimmers of rifts within the ranks of the PML-N, while those within the party who are sceptical of the wisdom of his remarks that have been interpreted by some as criticism of the establishment and by others as anti-patriotic (particularly after the Indian media went to town after the interview, painting Nawaz Sharif's remarks as an 'admission' that Pakistan was behind the Mumbai carnage) see the whole episode as having affected the PML-N's prospects in the upcoming elections. One uncomfortable gulf appears to have opened up between Nawaz and younger brother and current party head Shahbaz Sharif, with the latter attempting the difficult act of balancing his pragmatic approach to keeping the boat steady in the run up to the polls with family and political ties and the uncontested reality that it is Nawaz who commands the PML-N vote. Nawaz Sharif has had to face accusations from disparate quarters of putting self before the interests of the party, the elections, the democratic system and the country. Quite a charge sheet. There have even been voices heard that Nawaz Sharif's unwise utterings could lead to Pakistan being put on the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF's) black list for terrorist financing. The US too has jumped into the fray through a subtly worded message of 'do more'. Nawaz Sharif's considerations aside, there can be no gainsaying the fact that the controversy over his remarks has been unhelpful in the obtaining circumstances. While the PML-N's (and Nawaz's) narrative is, that the PML-N is under attack and being victimised at the behest of powerful state institutions, Shahbaz Sharif faces the difficult and unenviable task of keeping a steady and non-confrontational hand on the tiller, an effort not being helped by Nawaz Sharif's rhetoric. The latter seems not prepared to accept being marginalised within or by the PML-N, removed from the political scene permanently, or sent to jail while the party plays by the establishment's newly laid ground rules.
Nawaz Sharif may not have said anything that others before him have not. In his defence he has cited the past remarks of General Pervez Musharraf (retd) and former interior minister Rehman Malik amongst others to argue that the hullaballoo being created about his remarks smacks of mala fide intent. Certainly the barrage of charges (and worse, suggestions of enforcing Article 6) of 'treason', an anti-national stance, etc, have flown thick and fast from many sides in what appears to be either a knee-jerk reaction or pouncing on an opportunity to paint Nawaz Sharif in the blackest colours. Nevertheless, in cooler moments it is incumbent on Nawaz Sharif to realize that as a three-time elected prime minister, his words carry more weight domestically and internationally than many others. It is therefore necessary for him to weigh his words more carefully, since even seemingly innocent remarks can lead to serious consequences, as the present controversy shows. This is doubly important in the current climate of the parlous relations between the civilian and military sides of the equation. Already, the steady stream of so-called electables leaving the PML-N and making a beeline for greener pastures appears to be taking on the characteristics of an accelerating exodus. Enlightened self-interest, the demands of the moment and time dictate a more 'softly, softly' approach than the one adopted by Nawaz Sharif since his ouster and subsequent troubles. Nawaz Sharif's perception that the twin attack on the Sharifs and the PML-N as a scheme to bring about a manipulated outcome to the elections may not be entirely without foundation. But anything that causes the election schedule to be disturbed (or the elections postponed indefinitely), with the subsequent chaos and disarray throwing open once again the whole conundrum surrounding the continuity and credibility of the democratic project cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, be considered in Nawaz Sharif's, the PML-N's, or the country's best interests.