LAHORE: An attempt by the opposition parties in the National Assembly to have former prime minister Nawaz Sharif removed from his current position as leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) through an amendment in the Elections Act 2017 was annihilated by an impressive show of force by his party in Parliament on Wednesday.
While the opposition’s motion suffered a significant defeat—being quashed 163 votes to 98—one of the major dissenters in yesterday’s parliamentary muscle flexing was former prime minister Mir Zafrullah Khan Jamali.
That November 22 (Wednesday) is the eve of Jamali’s assent to the country’s most powerful civilian position shows that the veteran politician has indeed come full circle.
Jamali, a member of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) in his days as PM, was the first of three PMs to serve under the military rule of General Pervez Musharraf. Despite this seemingly significant conflict of interest, his strained relationship with the General, resignation from his post in 2004, and subsequent de-politicisation as Pakistan’s hockey chairman managed to be enough for him to join the PML-N in 2013 and serve on as a parliamentarian for the party in the current National Assembly.
In recent times, however, Jamali has been one of the vocal PML-N leaders advising Nawaz not to lock horns with state institutions, something he seems intent on doing.
Back in mid-October, Jamali had made an announcement about resigning from his assembly seat and leaving the PML-N. As is wont to happen with such statements, not much came out of it as Jamali remained an MNA, and a clean break with the party was also not made evident, despite the obvious estrangement.
However, the true, clear, public breakaway, in the form of a faithless vote, has finally come. That it comes on the 15th anniversary of his premiership must be a personally poetic moment for Jamali, as he voted against his current party leader and the man who he succeeded in the post nearly two decades ago.
For now, the bit of personal history must take a backseat as political and historical observers wait and see where the tide will take Jamali. The Pakistan Tehreek- i-Insaf (PTI), seems to be the obvious choice. They were raucous in their cheering of Jamali’s actions both inside and outside of the House, and in Imran Khan’s party he will find comfort given how cosy former Musharraf allies and party-trotters are in the PTI set-up.
Already, Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique said those Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmakers who did not support the party in rejecting an anti-Nawaz Sharif bill in the National Assembly yesterday should face strict disciplinary action.
Unless Jamali’s pride makes him go the route of independent politician, a position he may be able to pull off given his seniority, joining Imran’s ranks seem to be his only option. But for Jamali himself—one of the few men to serve in the capacity of prime minister (whatever the circumstances)—it indicates a moment of coming full circle.
Quite literally, if he finds a place in the PTI, which is undoubtedly waiting for him already.
