Laden with luck

Nawaz Sharif, literally monarch of most undemocratic political party of Pakistan has, some say, the luck of the devil

The Islamic Republic’s Triple Crown winner has, some say, the luck of the devil. Not that he is at all made in devilish mode, normally he is a mild-mannered, sometimes even verging on the shy, softly spoken, thoroughly nice chap. He is just not endowed with prime ministerial matter and he lacks any form of needed leadership. He is heavily into cronyism and nepotism which, as the world knows, leads on to multiple level corruption.

Pakistan is not Napoleon. It cannot rely upon luck alone as Boney eventually found out that the ‘lucky’ generals he gathered around him may have won battles but they sorely lost the war. Mian Nawaz Sharif, literally monarch of the most undemocratic political party of Pakistan, has for over three decades — and three prime ministerial terms — been favoured with the most incredible luck, and the country’s problem, at the moment, is that the luck does not seem to be running out. There is virtually nothing on the political stage that can touch him. The paucity of Pakistan’s politics is veritably pathetic. Right now, he has only one block in his way, the block that made him, but then unmade him twice — the might army of the Republic and its generals. This time round, the man has even been lucky on that front; he made the right choice then ceded the required space.



Had it not been for pious former president General Ziaul Haq and his trusted general, Ghulam Jilani Khan, we might not have had the massive exposure to the Raiwind Mian which we have had for over 35 years — truly a hell of a long time when it comes to politics, particularly when the word is associated with democracy. Literally lifted from relative obscurity, the 35-year-old was installed as his province’s finance minister in 1985. For his 1990 elevation as federal prime minister, the army again stepped in to help. The then highly politicised ISI chief, the pious Hamid Gul (backed by Army chief Aslam Baig) safely guided his move.

Luck has been with him almost all the way — there have been dire disruptions but he has bounced back with the greatest of ease. Our mild-mannered man can show his teeth as he so recently has done with the would-be NAB-bers. But, then, those who seem astonished, and put forward their varied analyses of the why we have forgotten how in 1993 he appeared on television and informed the president of the Republic that he “would not take dictation”. Defacing NAB is in his interest.

Well, of course he was booted out but then Lady Luck in the form of the Supreme Court did the unthinkable and brought him back. Not for long, as the army chief raised his stick and sent both him and his president homewards bound. Last century, from 1990 onwards, his luck ran out with his army chiefs, starting with Asif Nawaz, to Wahid Kakar, Jehangir Karamat and to top them all, General (retd) Pervez Musharraf who sent him off to amass even greater riches in the protective Kingdom. Had he not been twice a provincial minister and thrice a prime minister would luck have given him and his family what they have?

Anyhow, the most dismal thing is that we are stuck with the Nawaz Muslim League because there is nothing to replace it with. What a truly dismal factual admission of the democratic political scenario of a poverty stricken, terrorised, nuclear armed and legendary corrupt nation. As of now, barring a serious miracle cropping up in the coming two years, luck will again smile upon the Sharif dynasty as the Mian, now in his fourth decade of sporadic eminence, maintains a status quo that suits him to a tee.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 27^th,  2016.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.