Adil Najam
Former Prime Minister and PML(N) leader Nawaz Sharif is back in Pakistan.
Reportedly he landed in Lahore to a large reception by his supporters and was escorted to a special bullet proof car that had been brought for him. According to The News:
A special plane carrying the PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif, his brother Shahbaz Sharif and other family members arrived in Lahore from the holy city of Madina on Sunday evening. The convoys of PML-N workers arrived in Lahore to accord rousing welcome to Sharifs. Large welcome banners and pictures of Sharif brothers have been displayed at several places in Lahore. The special plane Boeing777 carried Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif along with 26 members of their family from the holy city of Madina.
The central and provincial leaders of PML-N, lawyers and members of civil society have arrived to receive Sharifs at Lahore Airport. Nawaz Sharif is expected to first visit Data Darbar in a procession and address a public meeting. Security had been tightened in Lahore especially on the airport ahead of arrival of the PML-N leader. Provincial home department has allowed only hundred party leaders to receive Sharifs at the airport, party sources claimed.
According to sources, bullet-proof cars for Sharifs reached in Lahore last night from Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, the home department said that the authorities have decided to give free hand to Nawaz Sharif but he has not been permitted for holding a public meeting and rally.
Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif and other family members will be transported to home from the airport, a home department statement said. However, thousands of PML-N workers succeeded in arriving airport by crossing the barricades put up by police. On this occasion, the workers raised slogans both in favour of Nawaz Sharif and against the government.
Readers would remember from our prior posts that in August the Supreme Court of Pakistan had ruled that he could, in fact, return to Pakistan despite whatever ‘deal’ he had made with Gen. Musharraf at teh time of his original flight to Saudi Arabia. However, when he did return to the country in September, he was unceremoniously and dramatically deported back to Saudi Arabia with theatrics which rivaled his own attempts not to let Gen. Musharraf land in Pakistan many moons ago.
Now it turns out that he has made yet another ‘deal’ with Gen. Musharraf which has enabled his return.
It is not fully clear what the ‘terms’ of this deal are. Nor what the Musharraf-Nawaz Sharif deal mean
s for the earlier Musharraf-Benazir deal that had enabled her return some weeks back. Nor, in fact, is it clear what what his return (and the fact that now both Benazir and Nawaz Sharif are back in Pakistan) will mean for the future of Pakistan’s politics and the (supposed) forthcoming elections.
In despair, one even wonders if it means anything at all? Or is this just one more drama in the string of topi dramas that have come to define our distraught and fractured polity?
Pakistan’s biggest problem is the military entrenched in power politics. The create politicians, cut deals with them, exile them (hang them) and prop up mullahs to use as bogie men to scare the West. Does any one see any real prospect of the this or coming generation of generals deciding to forsake their gun-given monolpoly over patriotism and defining national interest and using that to justify any means - legal or illegal, constitutional or unconstitutional? If not, then be under no illusions that this is not just a matter of rule of law, supremacy of the constituion and choosing between civilisation or savagery, but a question of existence for Pakistan. Jinnah’s vision for a democratic, secular Pakistan seems like a distant, fading dream. Remember, he did say “Any idea of a United India could never have worked and in my judgment it would have led us to terrific disaster. May be that view is correct ; may be it is not; that remains to be seen.” Little did he know that in avoiding slavery to a majority community showing no willingness to play fair, we were only going to end up replacing British rule by occupation by our own military.
the wily general is playing his hands well…
the more the merrier
easier to play divide-and-rule
There are no signs of deal. Only those who don’t like NS are speading this theory. There is a law of diminishing returns and a law of increasing opportunity cost. Any action done the first time yields more than the same action repeated the next time. The first time NS was exiled in 2000 yielded more returns to Musharraf than his 2nd exile in September 2007. If he had been exiled now, yield for Musharraf would have been even less. Why would Musharraf stop him this time?
Real leader is Back, time is ticking for Mush to go home, tick tick tick…
Adil, There is no deal here. If there was, Mush won’t have traveled to Saudi Arabia to try to stop him from returning. Ansar Abbasi has written clearly about reasons why he is coming back. It is Saudi pressure which lead to this return. Saudis want out of this mess and they told Mush in unequivocal terms. They were worried about loss of goodwill among Pakistanis due to their complicity in the last NS return fiasco. Also it is said that the Saudi King told Mush that since he did not keep his part of the promise the deal is off. Yes, Mush had told Saudis that he won’t let Benazir in, just like Nawaz. Since he made this dubious deal with her after promising with them otherwise, they don’t have to keep their end of the deal.
2nd, Saudis were asked by Britain to let him go back. 3rd it is said that even the Americans put pressure. That is kind of strange because Americans were against his return. It is speculated that the recent turn of events and the lack of support that Benazir is drawing among the masses forced them to do this. They want her in power and they think that NS will be able to split the MLQ’s vote bank, thereby giving Benazir an edge.
Return of legitimacy justified
@ All the Pakistanis have the right to ask for accounts
to Musharraf, why an elected PM was removed in
total ILLEGALITY, why did it happen, who else was
involved, thorough investigation. God damn it, He was
Pakistan’s 2/3 majority elected PM, most important than
even BB or PPP, come on !! Kargil’s argument is not
enough
I think return of Nawaz sharif is good sign. To me Musharaf as civilian president and NS as PM can be ideal colliation for Pakistan. Why, because West listen to Musharaf and Religious right to NS. Alternate is colliation between NS and BB.
As for deal, i think deal is not to buycott the election.
@ 0.02 % of Democratic requirements shamfully
half heartedly “accomplished”.
NOW, NAWAZ SHAREEF MUST BE REINSTATED,
HIS GOVERNMENT BE RE-INSTALLED, FORM A
NEW CABINET AND LET THE PM FUNCTION
NORMALLY, HE SHOULD BE GIVEN BACK ALL
THE POWERS, AND THE CHOICE TO NOMINATE
AND PROPOSE, WITH CONSULTATIONS , THE NEW
SUPREME COURT JUDGES, ONCE ACHIEVED,
MUSHARRAF BE TRIED, REFORMED HEAVILY
FINED AND RETIRED.