By Ananya Upadhyay
Three weeks ago, Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had to step down from his position as President of the PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz), following the Pakistani Supreme Court’s hearing regarding the Panama Papers Case. Having failed to declare a receivable salary as an asset, Sharif was also disqualified by the apex court from retaining the office of the Prime Minister on the 28th of July, 2017. This has also disqualified him permanently from membership in the parliament. Following Nawaz’s ouster, his younger brother, Shahbaz Sharif, was elected unopposed as the new head of PML (N) and the party appointed him as quaid or president for life.
Mian Mohammad Shahbaz Sharif
Shahbaz was elected to the Punjab Provincial Assembly in 1988 and to the National Assembly in 1990. He was again elected to the Punjab Assembly in 1993 and became the Leader of the Opposition. In 1997, when he was elected for the third time, he was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Punjab. He spent years of self-exile in Saudi Arabia after the military overthrow of the government in 1999 and returned only in 2007.
Shahbaz contested the 2008 General Elections and was appointed Chief Minister for a second term in Punjab. He was elected as Chief Minister for the third time in 2013. It is reported that, after Nawaz Sharif was forced to step down as Prime Minister, Shahbaz was offered the post and that he rejected the offer after which Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was made interim PM. It is highly likely that Nawaz will retain his influence and exercise control over decisions indirectly through Shahbaz.
The 2018 Senate Elections
Times will be tough for the PML-N as it has just experienced huge losses in the Senate Elections several days ago, in which the PML-N candidates for the posts of both the Senate Chairman and Deputy Chairman lost. PML-N has alleged that the Senate elections were manipulated and that certain “anti-democratic forces” were responsible for this.
PML-N’s constant accusations against ‘forces conspiring’ against it and its current weak leadership structure are reducing its chances of victory in the coming general elections. It also lacks an effective party machine and heavily relies on influential local elites and intermediaries to mobilise electoral support. A weak ideological institution coupled with Nawaz’s tarnished image may prove to be politically fatal for PML-N.
It has also been noted that the biggest threat to the continued dominance of PMLN in Punjab comes from within, with the prospect of defections and splits engineered by disgruntled politicians. So, in order for the party to retain its stronghold, it might have to go through a structural revamp, become internally more dynamic, decentralise control away from the Sharif family, and pave the way for other capable leaders.
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