Boost for embattled Sharif with PoK win
ISLAMABAD : The success of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N party in the recent elections to the legislative assembly in Pakistanoccupied Kashmir has given him a boost at a time when there are fears for the future of his government.
Sharif’s absence from Pakistan for medical treatment in the UKcoincidedwithafuroreover the Panama Papers leaks, in which his three children were named as owners of offshore assets. The opposition, spearheaded by Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, have been demanding an inquiry.
Political observers say the military high command is now putting pressure on the Sharif government with the help of opposition parties. Already it hascarried out a token sidelining of generals accused of corruption. Now, army chief Gen Raheel Sharif wants the government to do the same.
Khan has announced his party will organise a sit-in from August outside the offices of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the anti-corruption watchdog.
Waiting in the wings is Tahir-ul Qadri, the cleric whose supporters teamed up with Khan for the 2014 Islamabad dharna which nearly brought down the Sharif government. Qadri is back from Canada, where he is based, for another round of political confrontation.
This time, however, it is not just Khan’s party and Qadri’s Pakistan Awami Tehreek that will be protesting. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari too has announced his Pakistan People’s Party will protest against the government over what he calls “rigging and strong arm tactics” in the PoK elections.
In 2014, the major parties stayed away from Khan’s dharna. The mood seems to have changed now. Some say Bilawal is in no mood to make up with the Sharifs.
Aside from political uncertainty, there is the growing confrontation between the army and the elected government over a number of issues, including corruption, foreign policy and terrorism at home. If these are not addressed, say some, the chances are the military will leverage opposition parties to oust Sharif in the months to come.