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Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has obtained a return ticket to the country, and it is reported that he will land at Lahore Airport on the evening of October 21st. Former Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has claimed that Nawaz Sharif will become Prime Minister for the fourth time, which is not a new development.
Statements from any political party claiming that their leader will become the Prime Minister of the country, the Chief Minister of a province, or the President of a state are common and are issued to gain political advantage, rather than taking facts into account, including parties such as PTI, PML-N, and the Pakistan People’s Party, which have experience in governing the federal government.
If we go back five years, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) claimed Imran Khan as the Prime Minister-elect in contrast to other parties. The same claims were being made by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and PML-N, meaning that their elected leader would become the Prime Minister. However, despite these claims, PTI was successful, but none of these parties paid much attention to the facts.
The fact was that the Prime Minister of the country should be someone elected by the people, so making such predictions was baseless. People’s opinions could vary across different constituencies, or other factors could come into play. It happened that a Prime Minister was chosen, but the cabinet was formed, and powers were not given.
Today, the country is still in a difficult situation where political leaders seem lost in their dreams and fantasies. The average class in the country is suffering from poverty, unemployment, inflation, and economic difficulties. In such a situation, political instability and confusion are detrimental, and this might be the reason why political parties, despite appearing at the forefront in elections, are struggling to form a clear manifesto.
For readers who do not understand political maneuvering, it should be noted that a political party’s manifesto is the core of its election campaign, based on which they seek to win elections. For example, slogans like “Roti, Kapra, Makan” (Bread, Clothing, Shelter) or “Jag Punjabi Jag” (Wake up, Punjabi, wake up) are used to stir regional sentiments or religious emotions to divert people from national interests and focus solely on voting for their respective parties, without considering anything else.
The fact remains that Pakistan’s political crisis, security situation, and economic issues need attention. Some argue that Nawaz Sharif should surrender himself technically and legally, but it seems that the PML-N leadership is also preparing for Nawaz Sharif’s reception. There have been rumors of enticing the masses with motorbikes to attend rallies, which could be true or false. The main point is that Nawaz Sharif’s return should be orderly and peaceful, and it should be perceived that the PML-N leadership is also ready for his reception and that they are working on legal protection for the former Prime Minister.
It is important for Pakistan to address its pressing issues, including its deteriorating economic situation. From July 2022 to June 2023, due to the balance of payments and the impact of flooding, the country’s GDP growth rate was only 0.3 percent. In the fiscal year 2022-23, Pakistan had to service debt worth 5.2 trillion rupees, which is more than what the federal government’s revenues could cover. In July 2023, Pakistan negotiated a bailout package worth 3 billion dollars with the IMF, but the result was an inflationary storm that has not been seen for the past 76 years. It is crucial that the country’s critical issues receive attention.
It is not far-fetched to think that Nawaz Sharif might become Prime Minister for the fourth time following a similar course. Meanwhile, Maulana Fazlur Rehman has already stated that he will not participate in the elections because many of his party leaders were martyred due to terrorism.
Moreover, holding elections in the harsh winter conditions will be challenging, especially for people in mountainous regions. On the other hand, Nawaz Sharif does not seem too focused on the elections; only the People’s Party seems to be raising its voice for elections, but the philosophy behind it appears to be that if elections are delayed, the Pakistan People’s Party could become stronger while the PTI might weaken.
