It is almost as if all the institutions in Pakistan are working together to make sure that the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) does not come to power again as a result of the next general election.
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, the former prime minister and a close aide of Nawaz Sharif, has been disqualified for life by the appellate tribunal of the Election Commission, which according to many jurists and lawyers is totally against the spirit of the constitution.
The PML-N candidate from Taxila, Raja Qamarul Islam, has been taken into custody by the National Accountability Bureau on charges of corruption in a clean water scandal. It is pertinent to note that the same NAB issued him a letter clearing him to contest elections but as soon he was awarded a ticket from PML-N to contest against Chaudhry Nisar, a close aide of the military establishment, all of a sudden was called into the NAB office and without any court trial was taken into custody.
If this is not enough, the deployment of more then 350,000 army personnel on polling day says it all. Never in the recent history of Pakistan has the army been deployed in such a large number inside and out of the polling booths.
It is almost the same in many constituencies of the country. There are more stalwarts of PML-N who will be disqualified from contesting elections in the days to come. The interesting thing about all this drama is that this time the military establishment has been given a very tough time from the resilient PML-N. Sharif’s close aides and supporters are sticking to the party policies, which means we will have one of the most dangerous elections in the history of the country.
While PML-N is all set to win the elections and form a government, on the other hand, the military and judiciary alliance is making sure that the party does not come to power again. No one could have ever imagined that the judiciary and NAB would sink to such low level that they will use reference of poetry and fictional novels instead of the legal references in their verdicts to victimize PML-N and to help the military establishment disqualify PML-N candidates.
The mainstream media are not giving prior coverage to the resilient and anti-establishment leaders of PML-N. While Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz both are out of the country to take care of Sharif’s ailing wife Kulsoom Nawaz, Shahbaz Sharif, Nawaz Sharif’s brother, is doing all he can to reach a deal with the establishment.
Whether Sharif and his daughter will return to Pakistan or not remains a big question, and their return is the only way forward for PML-N to survive. If Sharif returns and is sent behind bars, his daughter can create havoc for the already offended military establishment by pulling in larger crowds at public gatherings and by attracting the sympathy vote. Even if she along with her father is sent to jail, the sympathy wave will work in favor of PML-N.
Whether Sharif chooses to remain in London or comes back will determine the outcome of the next general election in Pakistan. With all the institutions busy serving the military establishment’s purpose, Sharif is pinning all his hopes on his vote bank in Punjab. If the voters in Punjab turn out in very large numbers and the turnout in the elections is around 55-60%, Sharif despite being deprived of a level playing field will win the game.
On the other hand, if after managing the political process and with the highest possible level of pre-poll rigging the military establishment tries to change the results on election day, it will lead to chaos in the country.
There is a growing sense of frustration and anger among Sharif supporters in central and northern Punjab and they are tolerating all the victimization and unconstitutional steps just in the hope that they will be able to respond through the ballot on polling day. If somehow the election results are manipulated, then a mass protest movement in Punjab could trigger a movement against the establishment.
The powerful military establishment that for the past 10 years has operated from behind the scenes by dictating elected governments may be able to get the desired results in the election, but this may be the last election it manipulates, as both international and domestic pressure is growing against such interference in the electoral process.
The public is no longer willing to buy the sloganeering of the establishment, and this makes things very complex. It is almost the case that even a child can tell you that the military establishment is behind every artificial political crisis and it is the one that creates and dismantles political parties.
Regardless of the fate of Sharif and his PML-N, the public in Punjab is showing dissent and anger toward the invisible rule of the military establishment. Their frustration and anger are like a ticking time bomb which can explode at any movement and it can create a situation where even direct or indirect intervention of the establishment will even not prove enough to avoid the inevitable.
In the process, the judiciary has lost all its credibility by playing into the hands of the establishment. The same is the case with the National Accountability Bureau, which is only targeting and victimizing Sharif and his party.
There are signs of a storm that the powerful establishment is ignoring deliberately, and one can easily predict that manipulated results will not be accepted by the nationalists in Balochistan or by Sharif’s supporters in Punjab. It is as if the establishment is deliberately playing with fire in the hope that it will only burn its opponents and somehow will not hurt itself. This is the same mistake that was committed in the elections of 1970 when Sheikh Mujib’s mandate from East Pakistan was denied and finally, it resulted in the fall of East Pakistan.
A failure to hold a genuine election while instead manipulating the results would further damage the foundation of the state, and it only requires common sense to understand that this modern age does not belong to powerful militaries, it is all about solid democracy and strong civil institutions that can contribute economic and technological developments.
It seems that in order to select its pawns, the establishment in Pakistan in desperation has actually stalled the entire system, and it is still not convinced that its pawns will emerge as victors in the managed elections. A better way forward for Pakistan is respect for the ballot and mandate. The sooner the establishment learns it, the less damage it will cause to the state and society.
If judiciary and army has taken decission of operation corruption free Pakistan so we as a nation with them
The fact is that today the voter is more educated and they are asking contestant, what you you done for our education, health, jobs, clean drinking water, social welfare, for our country, for our next generation, where is out tax money, how you became filthy rich and we remain poor, how you got expensive Proprty abroad, while we can own a smal house in Pakistan, how you can afford luxury cars and we could not, and so on ………….
A bold but true analysis of the situation on ground in Pakistan. It’s no more a secret that Judiciary and Military Establishment are trying their best to keep PML N out of race.
Despite their best efforts, PML N following has not been affected heavily and it still has diehard followers in large numbers.
Unfortunately, the establishment is trying very hard to bring PTI in power, a political party full of turncoats led by a drug addicted leader with an obsession to get into PM House by hook or crook.
Prime minister of Iceland and Ukraine, a Spanish minister, a member of a fifa committee…all resigned after panama papers leaks..investigations under way against former British PM…the supreme court disqualified Nawaz on receivable income but ordered further trial for more charges…and we all found out what happened. Truth prevails.
A very realistic and unbiased analysis of the present scenario.
Biased article, you forget about panama, ukrain iceland etc pms resignerd once there name came in panama. Pml n knows there faith that is why you are creating false propoganda on there pay role. One question for you are Shareefs Corrupt? Allah is watching answer this question truly :).
seems the writter is contesting election from NA/PK …… PML(N) also involed like othet Nonies
Wow. Just…wow. It’s almost as if Nawaz Sharif himself stood behind this boy and whispered all the sound bites, clichés and one-sided venom found in copious amounts throughout this article; trying yet again to play up the narrative that ‘Democracy’ in Pakistan is under threat and that the only person who can save it, is the personification of democracy – Nawaz Sharif. Unelected leader of the PML-N for life; ruling Pakistan democratically with his brother, daughter, nephew and brother-in-law – crushing and castrating state institutions to expand his stranglehold on the reins of power for the last 30 years; playing musical chairs with Mr. 10% – Asif Zardari- to loot the national treasury hand over fist, all the while criminally neglecting vital infrastructure development in the fields of education, sanitation, agriculture and healthcare.
The sheer cheek and nerve of the boy who vomited this disingenuous and mendacious piece of work Is utterly disappointing, to say the least.
Sure, he wasn’t directly named in the panama leaks, but his sons were. They amassed millions in properties abroad at tender ages, while their thrice-elected prime minster father was in power. Alright, maybe they were business prodigies. Fair enough. But how come, in over a year of patient questioning by the courts of law, these people have not been able to provide the requisite money trail? Nawaz stood in parliament and, in all his pompous self-righteousness, waved pieces of paper about, declaring that he held the details of his family’s sources income right there and how he would share those details with the courts and the people. That was more than a year ago and he has since then failed to justify his family’s property empire in London and the Middle East.The truth is, by whatever means, crooked or cloak and dagger, he was caught with his fingers deep in the so called pie, and ever since then, he and his coterie of sycophants have been somersaulting to and fro to provide him with some kind of political cover to shield his morally bankrupt self from the trial and punishment that he most definitely deserves.
I could go on and on but I think this would be a good point to stop and catch a breath before I pop a blood vessel and kick the bucket.
It is your bad performance which allow others to play games with you.
Now many intellectuals are thrown in market to ruin every thing which is against Guru of Curroption, Nawaz Sharif whether is Pakistan
Biased Analysis, Good Effort to defame, Pakistan, its Electoral process and its establishment.
It is PMLN itself past performance due to which they are going to loss.
Yes, I feel so sorry for what the Sharif family is going through after looting only a few billions from the country! World Bank estimates of $200 Billion stashed oversees by the ruling elite is a hogwash and a conspiracy against the Sharifs. Poor Kulsum Nawaz’s Iqama states her profession in Dubai as a maid – only God knows she has worked hard to earn those billions as a maid. The royal pups are an intelligent and well educated lot with great business acumen – unfortunately the benefit only goes to their personal wealth and never to the country, but that is only a minor detail. Yes, they must be given more time to loot whatever remains of the country – only because they have a mandate to do so!
A must-read article…It’s not 1960’s when Madr-e- Millat Miss Fatimah Jinnah’s mandate was hijacked and Shaikh Mujeeb ur Rehman was tried to be sidelined and both instead were called traitors and this all chaos ultimately resulted into Fall of Dhaka…same old script is being played again ….but now time has gone far ahead, no one is ready to be influenced by other,nor gets enough time to watch electronic media if it’s found airing false propagations against PML-N and Sharif’s…at the moment every voter in Pakistan is staunch, rigid and clear in mind which way to take and what ideology they are set to follow…victimization of PML-N leaders through judiciary and NAB already escalating frustration among masses because they foresee another 5 years’ era of darkness, inflation, poverty,terrorism, and lawlessness plus with police -gardi and ghunda-gardi…they are not at any cost ready to be thrown headlong into this nasty pit of vicious circle where all ills on earth collaborate well…so far Nawaz Sharif and his daughter are concerned, naturally they didn’t appeared hundred and plus times in NAB’s court only to escape , it would be nonsense and ridiculous both if it’s thought so …nation stands by them in this hour of pain and mental trauma !!!
Things are not taking their right direction, rather it’s creating chaos…and if this chaos continues and even gets severe in future, naturally seems will result in disaster !!
Creating a rigging hysteria prior to elections seems to me a heavily paid propaganda. People in Pakistan trust their military far more than the corrupt civilian politicians , and they do it rightly so. I am not advocating the bigger role of military in politics, rather they shouldn’t have even any role at all. But who will stop the two royal families Zardaris and shareefs in Pakistani politics from looting Pakistan? Someone powerful atleast seems inevitable to keep these corrupt people on the check. When there isn’t any body watching over, these kings and queens would have no restrictions to sell the country and make their personal properties in Europe and else where in the world. Shareefs have the history of attacking supreme court of Pakistan, one can imagine how far they can go if they see things happening against their corrupt practices and looting. The author must not forget the Lahore incident where innocent people of a ploitical party were brutally murdered by police with the backing of Punjab government among whom the women were also included , and justice is looming still at large .
Very good and pure analytical article raising the true facts on ground and under ground … This diet hanged must now end ….
What is Panama Leaks ? Kindly update your knowledge before comenting such absurd things. If Panama Leaks is corruption then why there is no case against any name appearing in Panama Leaks around the world ?
Nawaz Sharif’s name was not in Panama Leaks but the leaks were used against him and yet the decision was not on Panama Leaks rather it was on receivable salary which was a past closed transaction and was not received.
Corruption is rampant in Pakistan
But civil corruption you can control by votes, But not military corruption, because they are not answerable to anyone.
Developed Nations are the one who have civil rule NOT Military rule. Strong Military intervention is Military rule.
Plus on what basis this unscrupulous writing is predicting a PML win? Unbelievable
Extremely biased and one sided article. Perhaps Panama leaks and overall corruption committed by PML N is not visible to the writer. Shameful
though visually the last two decades were evenly divided between civil and military rule yet everyone knows how the military establishment kept playing during civil rule despite being in full control during Musharaf era and you are trying to term ciivil rule as corrupt while giving clean chit to Musharaf !
This is amazing
Very biased and one sided article. True it is Military plays effective role in politics but no one can ignore the corruption done by civil elite irrespective of political party.