‘New Deal’: Nawaz Sharif Returns to Pakistan. Now What? So What?

Posted on November 25, 2007
Filed Under >Adil Najam, People, Politics
217 Comments
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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 means 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?

217 responses to “‘New Deal’: Nawaz Sharif Returns to Pakistan. Now What? So What?”

  1. RE says:

    zia
    his name is Mushraf he is our president have some respect and call his name correctly.

  2. pejamistri says:

    @RE
    I keep quoting this
    “As a software engineer, sometimes envy God’s creation, a human being can never make intelligent machines which will have such a vast difference on intellect between one machine and another machine”
    We are poles apart in our thinking. And this is possible only in humans :)

  3. RE says:

    True democracy in Pakistan will come after our water and food is clean. then there is a health system, This will help produce intelligent brains. Once that is there we will need good education system. These all things will take time. Pakistan has not been able to stand on its feet.
    Vision of Mushraf and Shoukat Aziz is to first stand on feet then next steps to follow.
    Allah Bless Pakistan.

  4. Ahmad R. Shahid says:

    faraz:

    At least some of our dreams are common:)

  5. faraz says:

    I agree with Pejamistri that one day there will be rule of law in Pakistan. I think there has always been a democratic sprit in Pakistan.

    Thats how people got on street and forced ayub Khan to retire and have force Mush to give up hus COAS powers. We will be a democratic country and will not turn in another Egypt or Russia.
    “May be I am a dreamer, but I know I am not the only one”.

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