What if Nawaz Sharif actually returns?

PML-N leader and National Assembly former speaker Ayaz Sadiq whipped up a political storm by claiming that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif – who has been living in London since November 2019 – would soon “return with a bang”. Ayaz made the revelation during a press conference held in Lahore on December 23. Later talking to a private news channel, the former speaker said, “Something big, like a bang, is going to happen soon. It would happen all of a sudden as you won’t see it happen slowly and gradually.” The statement apparently set alarm bells ringing in the corridors of power with a number of federal ministers, saying that Nawaz will land in jail if he returns. Nawaz Sharif, convicted by an accountability court in December 2018, was serving a seven-year jail term in Lahore. The PTI government, however, gave him a rare permission to fly to London for treatment of a debilitating health condition. The former premier has not returned to the country since. Bol News sought the opinion of political experts and analysts as to what would be the repercussions of Nawaz Sharif’s possible return to Pakistan.

Shah Khawar Advocate

Former AGP

he news about Mian Nawaz Sharif’s return is circulating around but one cannot say with certainty whether he would be returning or not. The senior PML-N leaders have claimed since his departure to London in November 2019 that he would soon return but none of them tells us exactly when.

Even now there was no final word in this connection. The news of his return is coming from the party leaders like Mian Javid Latif and Sardar Ayaz Sadiq but there is no word in this regard from Mian Nawaz Sharif himself. In case he returns, he will land in jail as he was convicted by an accountability court in December 2018 in Al-Azizia case.

Earlier, the apex court also disqualified him under Article 62-1-F of the Constitution.

The article reads:  “A person shall not be qualified to be elected or chosen member of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) unless: (f) he is sagacious, righteous and non-profligate, honest and amen, there being no declaration to the contrary by a court of law.”

Nawaz can’t take part in the elections until his disqualification is set aside by the apex court. There are some reports that his party will be submitting a petition in the Supreme Court, asking the court either to set aside his conviction or give him remission in the disqualification period.

It is a long shot and Nawaz Sharif will have to stay in jail, if he returns.

However, Nawaz’s return will definitely boost the morale of the party workers and leaders who are standing with the party in the hope that one day he will return and lead the party to the power corridors.

Nawaz can lead the party even from jail and his presence in the country would rejuvenate the party activists and leaders and definitely have an impact on any future elections in the country.

Zahid Khan

ANP leader

n my view, Mian Nawaz Sharif’s return will not bring any positive change in the country because he could not return without striking a deal with the establishment. In case of a secret deal, no one can expect any good from him as he will not be completely independent then.

An independent prime minister could mend fences with neighbors and could craft independent foreign policy reflective of the aspirations of the people of Pakistan and in the best national interests.

But how one can expect any good from a person who will come in power after making a series of compromises.

If Nawaz cuts a deal with the establishment, he will be no different from Imran Khan as only an independent and powerful prime minister could put the country on road to progress and prosperity and that would not be possible in the presence of a very strong establishment.

Secondly, the damage that the PTI government has caused to the institutions and economy cannot be undone in a short span of time. It could take eight to 10 years now to put the economy back on track.

A country which is under the influence of the establishment – right from the foreign policy down to the monetary matters – cannot change for better. Right now we don’t have any foreign policy.

The ruling elite has become the spokesperson of the Taliban.

The writ of government is non non-existent as the activists of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) – a religious group – killed seven police officials during their countrywide protests but all the charges against them were dropped after a deal.

How can we expect the chances of betterment from the government?

Dr. Manzoor Ahmad Naazer

An academic

bviously, the return of Nawaz Sharif will energize the party leaders and workers but previously such news were deliberately issued to media by the party leaders with the aim to keep the party leaders and activists stay aligned with the party. Only time will tell whether Nawaz is really coming back or it is a part of a tactic to keep the party’s activists intact.

The tactics had worked well in the past as such news not only boosted the morale of the party workers and activists but also kept them associated with the party. It was the hope which had kept the PML-N activists and leaders united in difficult times despite expectations of major defections following Nawaz’s disqualification and his subsequent departure to the United Kingdom.

The narrative of Nawaz Sharif return had paid dividends in shape of the PML-N victory in most of the by-elections held over the past year or so in Punjab while the party’s performance in the local bodies’ elections held in cantonment boards across the country was also remarkable.

This time people like Ayaz Sadiq – who is considered a sober and serious figure in the party — have claimed that Nawaz Sharif’s return is on the cards. The ruling PTI’s ministers have also started saying that Nawaz is not coming on his own but it is due to the efforts of the government that Nawaz is compelled to return.

Nawaz Sharif will return only with the approval of the establishment which means that there must be some scheme of things to reverse the cases against him and his family members through some legal course. The PML-N leadership dubbed these cases as politically motivated and a part of conspiracy to keep the PML-N supreme leader out of the political arena. Basically, the opposition parties have gained strength due to the failure of the PTI government on almost all fronts. The PTI has disappointed the people of Pakistan and all those who were pinning great hopes on them due to their mal-governance and poor handling of the economy.

Naeemullah Khan

An academic

his time Nawaz Sharif’s return plan seems more than a rumor and the uneasiness in the government camp gives more credence to the reports.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leadership here used to come up with statements every now and then about Nawaz Sharif’s return and everybody knew that it was for the consumption of their second tier party leaders and workers but this time senior leaders like National Assembly former speaker Ayaz Sadiq said that he would come back with Nawaz Sharif as he left for London.

Nawaz Sharif will be taken into custody the moment he will land in the country owing to his conviction. But obviously he would only return after taking some guarantees from the powers that be.

The panic in the ranks of ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is not because of Nawaz’s return but due to their own failure to deliver in the past three and half years.

I think Nawaz Sharif’s return will give impetus not only to the PML-N’s politics but will also rejuvenate the politics of the opposition parties alliance— the PDM.

The thrust and impact of the PDM’s planned long march on the federal capital in March next year will increase manifolds in case Nawaz Sharif returns to the country before it.

Previously, the The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz  had won some 20 to 25 extra National Assembly seats due to the arrival of Nawaz Sharif before the 2018 general elections despite the critical illness of his wife, Kulsoom Nawaz. Nawaz was put behind the bars on his return and barred from taking part in the election campaign but his presence in the country had energized the party workers and activists.

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