An open letter to Nawaz Sharif

Respected Mr Nawaz Sharif, the three-time elected Prime Minister of Pakistan and a democrat-at-heart! I humbly confess that I am neither an admirer of your party, nor have I ever voted for you. I hold my reservations on the political functioning of your party. But I gracefully admit that the PML-N is a political force to be reckoned with, especially in Punjab, and has a sizable presence countrywide.

I hold no brief on your democratic credentials, and often looked up to you in awe for your cherished thoughts on supremacy of law and constitution, your development module, eagerness for correct relations with the military, and last but not least your vision of normalising relations with India.

You have many firsts to cheer, and the prime among them is the Charter of Democracy signed in 2006 in London with the then PPP chairperson, Benazir Bhutto. That resolve to uphold civil supremacy and democratic norms unfortunately went wayward with the passage of time, and we are in a quagmire of hybrid governance.

You had the acumen to rope in Pakistan’s biggest geo-economic deal in the form of $60 billion CPEC, and despite upheavals, it is our lifeline to this day. Likewise, you acted in a statesmanship manner to engage the Indian leadership for addressing outstanding irritants, and the landmark visit of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Lahore in 1999 was epoch-making in bilateralism.

I stand with you to sympathise on your construed exit from power all the three times, perhaps owing to power politics ingrained in our psyche. The apex court’s shunting you out on the premise of Panama Leaks, on possessing a UAE iqama, by declaring you as ‘dishonest’ led to snowballing of an unending discord among organs of the state and politicians.

You opted for self-exile all the three times you were shown the door by striking deals behind the curtain; and had to face imprisonment on treason charges too. This trial and tribulations made you defiant, and you were seen as a symbol of resistance against extra-constitutional forces in the country.

Mr Sharif, I am sorry to submit that you did not relive your image, and your cutting a deal with the powers-that-be to stage a comeback to power has bred discontent among the electorates. As a democrat, you should have preferred ending up in prison on your return home, rather than being seen facilitated by NADRA’s ratification at the airport, and then being driven in a caravan of sycophants in state protocol. Your party has no dearth of zealous democrats but it seems you were made to walk booby-trap, and now you are holed in the comforts of Jati Umrah, and compromised to the core.

Sir, your party went into the February 8 general elections on a weakest note, and was routed. I vividly remember the fateful night and the images when the nation saw you stone-faced and jaw-dropped, and you walked away in humility. But at dawn you were found to be standing on the wrong side of the divide.

You should have conceded in grace to the PTI. Rather, you were somehow led by temptations of Machiavellian-ism, and the rest is history, as constitutional norms, mandate of the people and sanctity of ballot, you once used to espouse, stood discredited. Today your presence is nowhere; you are not audible in parliament, and in the media. The government that you own is obstinate, and with each passing day is inching towards the brink.

You know very well that political instability is taking a toll, and its prime casualty is economics. Today, the country is deep in isolation, and our friends are turning sceptical. Parochialism is on the rise and the country is adrift with lawlessness. The only way to come out of this abyss is national unity. You certainly, as the PML-N supremo, have a role to play and you can do it only if you rise above petty interests and look into the distant future.

In my humble capacity as a citizen of a country in existential crisis, I beg to state the obvious. Mr Sharif, you have seen the trajectory of power corridors, the alleys of jail, and desolation of being in exile. You can better understand how to strike a chord of semblance in adversity. I believe you must rise and reach out to your political adversary, and resuscitate democracy on death bed.

The way forward for you is to visit Adiala Jail and meet the PTI chief, Imran Khan. Make sure it should not be a photo-op. You must exhibit a brave heart, and write history by admitting that the mandate of the masses in the 2024 vote was for the PTI. Heavens will not fall, if your members are de-seated and your coalition government comes to an end.

Concede that you and your daughter were second on the finishing-line in the race on February 8. Declare that you bow yourself before the July 12 judgment of the Supreme Court on reserved seats, and announce the release of all prisoners of conscience. By doing so, you will bury instability for all times to come, and rekindle a ray of hope.

Notwithstanding how Mr Khan had dealt with you in the past, walk the few extra steps to make a new beginning. If you do so, you will surely bolster your image as a statesman and a politician par excellence. It will make no difference if your arch-rival is ushered into power. But it will make a lot of difference on the mosaic of coexistence and will go on to strengthen the culture of political pluralism and tolerance.

Let the sovereigns of the country, the people, be put at the vanguard to decide their future and be free to elect their leadership. Empowering the electorate is tantamount to restoring political stability and economic confidence.

Mr Sharif, you and your compatriots are at the twilight of their celebrated careers, but Pakistan is weak and sizzling. You need to leave behind a legacy that generations should emulate, and be proud of. Let the people of Pakistan be empowered and the route is through a free and fair ballot, leading to triumph of constitutional rule. Mr Sharif, you don’t have a choice here. Take a call.