- PML-N and the forthcoming elections
With elections due within months, there seems to be no end to PML-N’s woes. First it was the PTI, then the court cases and now a section of the religious lobby. Meanwhile Nawaz Sharif, who was scheduled to return from London on Sunday, has extended his stay by another four days. The party which is totally dependent on him is thus rudderless.
Meanwhile Imran Khan has put his mass contact campaign in full gear. Last month Khan addressed at least ten public gatherings out of which seven were held in interior Punjab. This month he has already spoken at five rallies. Attempts meanwhile continue to be made to prise away sections of the religious lobby from the PML-N. The recently hammered together TLYR which is led by a hitherto unknown cleric blockaded Islamabad for three weeks. The sit-in by its violent followers ended only after the government agreed to sacrifice a federal minister. Another faction of the group occupied the Mall in Lahore for a week. Soon after, another little known Pir from Sargodha marched on Islamabad demanding the Punjab Law Minister’s resignation. Meanwhile Tahirul Qadri is waiting in the wings to deal another blow to the PML-N government. Even if the government tides over these protests, the propaganda by radical clerics would influence sections of population that had traditionally supported the PML-N candidates.
The tendency in Nawaz Sharif to jealously monopolise power like a king is going to be the PML-N’s undoing. Nawaz Sharif has been disqualified by the SC, he faces several cases that can lead to his conviction while he is required to attend to his ailing wife. He has also to spend long hours consulting his lawyer. Obviously he has little time to lead the party in the election fray. His absence can lead PML-N legislators with constituencies of their own to say good bye to the party and contest next elections as independent candidates. The reluctance to hand over the chair of the party or the leadership of the campaign to a more active party leader like Shahbaz Sharif could be dangerous for the PML-N.
