All in the family

EDITORIAL: Since Nawaz Sharif has always called the shots in the PML-N, even during the PDM government when he was in exile, the only purpose his return to the presidency of the party serves is optics; to bolster the narrative that he was unfairly disqualified and disbarred from the premiership as well as the party leadership.

Otherwise, nobody’s ever had any doubts that he was in charge – as evidenced, among other things, by Ishaq Dar rising to prominent positions in government despite headwinds from within the party, coalition partners, and even the establishment.

But that’s as far as optics go. Nobody believes retaking his “rightful place as the president of the party”, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif put it in his resignation letter, will make any difference to anything. In fact, it has also given the opposition something to play with, strengthening its own claim that the country’s principal institutions have worked together to rid the Sharifs of all their troubles.

Sadly, though, nobody involved in these power games seems to understand that none of this matters to the people in any way; especially in the current, back-breaking high inflation, high unemployment environment. You can be certain that nobody on the street believes that formally placing Nawaz Sharif at the top of the ruling party once again will make any difference to the way PML-N is running the country or to their lives.

And that, unfortunately, is the biggest take away from this development that highlights the disconnect between the ruling elite and the common man.

For, even as everybody in government is busy spreading and celebrating the “good news” that another IMF bailout programme is just around the corner, they don’t bother to point out that its harsh “upfront conditions” will raise taxes, cut subsidies, inflate utility bills, and make things worse before they get any better. And since the government is not mentioning it, it’s also not preparing for the reaction that is sure to come in the short term.

It is painfully clear that at the top, even now, politics of confrontation and point scoring is all the rage. And now that Nawaz is back in the driving seat the rumour mill is abuzz with prospects of further interference from his favourite economic wizard, Ishaq Dar, in the finance ministry.

Already, the press is worrying over the deadlock that is expected in the privatisation process, which will be crucial for successful implementation of the bailout programme.

This latest chapter in Nawaz’s career also cements people’s belief that the Sharifs will always lord over PML-N, never allowing other leaders to rise beyond a certain point. This has often caused friction within the party as well, yet the House of the Sharifs has never budged from this position.

And now, with Shehbaz Sharif as the prime minister, Maryam Nawaz as the chief minister of Punjab, and Nawaz Sharif once again officially controlling PML-N, it is very much a family affair. This yet again serves as a conspicuous reminder that it is individuals that command the vote bank and not their party and therefore most political parties in Pakistan are dynastic essentially and lack democracy within.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024