PTI’s Avenfield dilemma

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is grappling with disbelief after the acquittal of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) leader Nawaz Sharif in the Avenfield reference. While the PTI denounces the court’s decision as a “death knell to the justice system,” it continues to label Sharif a “certified criminal.”

The Islamabad High Court's exoneration of Nawaz Sharif, nearly six years after his initial trial, has provoked a strong response from the PTI. The party, which once based its narrative on opponents’ convictions, now contends with the stark reality of the court's decision contradicting its long-standing accusations.

Having built its narrative on branding Sharif as a “thief, dacoit, corrupt, and traitor,” the PTI now faces the challenge of reconciling its past reliance on court judgments with the current acquittal.

“It’s difficult for PTI to accept Nawaz Sharif’s acquittal from a corruption case as its whole narrative was built on this very thing,” eminent political expert, Zaigham Khan said and added, “for the PTI, everyone excluding Imran Khan is corrupt; how can it go against what was an integral part of the Tabdeli [change] project.”

Zaigham said that the PTI’s predicament underscores the complexities of political narratives grounded in legal outcomes, as the party now confronts the unexpected outcome that challenges its foundational anti-Nawaz and anti-PMLN stance. Back then, he recalled, the state machinery was pushing corruption narrative against certain individuals just like it is doing against some others right now.

Commenting on the judiciary’s role, Zaigham said that courts or the justice system was easily used to manage politics, saying several judges were on board back then who interpreted things as they wanted and didn’t even hesitate to create new jurisprudence. The subordinate judiciary, he lamented, followed what had already been decided by the superior judiciary. “It’s highly unfortunate but the judicial process was used for pushing narrative,” he noted.

Professor Tahir Naeem Malik of NUML University said that the PTI finds it difficult to accept the IHC’s decision as it contradicts its whole narrative against Nawaz and PML-N.

Also, the professor added, the PTI is unable to fathom the decision because the general elections are just around the corner and its voters won’t buy the anti-corruption narrative as the previous one has just fallen flat. “Acquittal is the end result of the politically-motivated cases,” Professor Malik said, adding political parties in Pakistan, unfortunately, do not believe in exposing the system as they simply prefer to go after individuals as long as it suits them.

On the judiciary’s role, Malik said that the country, where people have almost no trust on the justice system, puts a big mark on it. He recalled that the PTI had even taken credit for courts’ decision but it is not ready to accept reality now.

On Thursday, the PTI declared that the acquittal of “certified criminal” Nawaz Sharif in Avenfield Apartments reference under the “notorious London secret deal” by placing law and justice in the rear view mirror is a death knell to legal and justice system of the country as he had no proof to prove his innocence in the mega corruption case.

Strongly reacting to the IHC’s decision, PTI spokesperson said that the major relief granted to the “crooked person under a secret deal” was akin to murder of the law and justice system.

In a statement, he noted that the “criminal process of acquitting national criminals” one after another was continued with lightning speed by destroying the country’s institutions and judicial system altogether.

Contrary to the court’s ruling, PTI spokesperson recalled that “the tale of Nawaz Sharif’s ceaseless corruption exposed in the Panama Papers was still fresh in the minds of the nation”. He pointed out that “the saga from fabricated Qatari letter, Calibri font and other evidences like fake trust deeds were enough to prove Nawaz as guilty in Avenfield reference”.

The PTI spokesperson said that a person, who raised the slogan "Respect the vote", was being given major relief through “third NRO, which was a very humiliating and a matter of great concern for the judicial system”.