May 28th 2024.
The bustling city of Lahore is abuzz with anticipation as the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party prepares for its upcoming General Council meeting. The highlight of the meeting will be the re-election of three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif as the party's president, a position he held for many years before being ousted due to the Panama Papers scandal. According to reports from the Dawn newspaper, the meeting will take place at a local hotel and it is expected that the 74-year-old veteran politician will be elected unopposed.
Nawaz Sharif, who returned to Pakistan last year after spending four years in self-imposed exile in the UK, is a beloved figure among party members. Despite 11 members receiving nomination papers for the top post, it seems that the former premier will have no challengers. Originally, the General Council meeting was scheduled for May 11th, but it was postponed to coincide with the celebration of 26 years of Pakistan becoming a nuclear power.
During a recent press conference, PML-N Punjab president Rana Sanaullah hinted that Nawaz Sharif would be re-elected without any opposition. When asked if anyone else was contesting against him, Sanaullah stated that if there were, they should come forward and make their intentions known. Some have questioned why the party did not have a democratic process to vote for a new president, to which Sanaullah replied that the PML-N is a "servant of power corridors" and it was Nawaz Sharif who transformed it into a party for the people. He went on to say that after Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, it was Nawaz Sharif who breathed new life into the party.
Another question that arose was why Nawaz Sharif seemed less active in politics since the February 8th general elections. Sanaullah quickly dispelled any rumors, stating that the former PM is not angry with anyone and is still very much involved in the party. In fact, he emphasized that Nawaz Sharif is the one who makes all major decisions for both the party and the government.
Earlier this month, Nawaz's younger brother, Shehbaz Sharif, resigned as the PML-N president. In his resignation, he expressed his disappointment with the "unjust" disqualification of his brother from the PM Office. Shehbaz stated that it was time for Nawaz to resume his rightful place as the president of the PML-N party. After the February 8th elections, which resulted in a fractured mandate, the PML-N joined forces with the Pakistan Peoples Party led by Bilawal Zardari Bhutto and other smaller parties to form the federal government, with Shehbaz taking over as prime minister.
This isn't the first time that Nawaz Sharif has faced legal troubles. In 2017, he stepped down as the country's prime minister after the Supreme Court disqualified him for life due to his failure to declare his salary. And just last year, following his trial in the Panama Papers case, the apex court once again disqualified him, this time as the president of the PML-N.
Despite these challenges, Nawaz Sharif remains a powerful and influential figure within the PML-N party. With his imminent re-election, it is clear that his leadership and vision are still highly valued by his fellow party members. As the PML-N moves forward, Nawaz Sharif's guidance and wisdom will undoubtedly continue to shape its future.
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