Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz has taken up the cause of correcting the course of history, which has black chapters, due to the misadventures of politicians, agencies and the judiciary.
While politicians have been forthcoming regarding their past mistakes, and have often put up apologies for their misdeeds, the similar gestures must come from the sacred institutions. It was good to hear when General Qamar Javed Bajwa candidly admitted that their institution has been into politics unnecessarily.
Democratic governments have been battling the consequences of the decisions and steps made by powerful institutions. The PML-N has been one of the victims too.
Since Imran Khan’s ouster in April, he has been tirelessly working towards maligning the image and work of PML-N and its senior leaders. The long marches and several rallies arranged by him to spew nothing but hate at the government did little for the betterment of Pakistan.
However, it is not him alone who has been working for the downfall of Pakistan but certain elements within the sacred institutions who aided the former selected prime minister in his endeavors.
Since the formation of PML-N and its subsequent wins in the general elections, certain forces have never allowed the party to fulfill its elected term, except in the years 2013-2017. While the party remained in power for a complete term of five years, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was removed from office before his term was complete due to baseless allegations of corruption.
History has been a witness to the unfair treatment of the PML-N and the Sharif family by certain institutions in the country. During the nineties, PML-N and PPP played a game of musical chairs when Sharif and Bhutto were removed one after the other. When PML-N finally came back to power through popular vote, General Musharraf implemented martial law ending any hope of bringing democracy back to Pakistan.
PML-N’s 2013-2017 tenure stabilised Pakistan in several aspects. As Maryam Nawaz highlighted in her recent address, the problems of terrorism were solved by a large amount all over the country. The country made progress economically and socially. There was less division among the provinces and people lived in harmony.
Admittedly, while many problems still existed, the PML-N had laid out a plan which was progressive and was going to take the country to new heights. However, the ouster of Nawaz Sharif and the constant ruckus at D-Chowk in Islamabad by the PTI did not allow the government to implement many of its plans. The long and useless protests destroyed the country’s future as it drove away foreign investments due to political instability.
The PML-N has never had a great relationship with the institutions of the country as the agenda of the party has always been to bring prosperity to the country. The institutions, however, only wanted a government of rent-seekers and lobbyists who would work together to take as much as they can from the country and its people.
PML-N’s manifesto has always been that of creating opportunities for business development and overall progress of the economy. Even now, under the leadership of Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz, PML-N’s vision and mission is to make Pakistan prosperous but certain institutions are becoming a roadblock towards progress.
Democracy in Pakistan has never been fully practiced because of the unfair divide of power between the state and its functionaries. Those political parties that align themselves with the powerful elite are allowed to stay in power, but those who want to bring true and positive change to the country are sidelined and usually tangled up in baseless allegations and court cases.
The PML-N and the House of Sharifs have faced a number of obstacles of this nature. The judiciary and certain chief justices have worked tirelessly to keep their man in power as the world saw in April 2022. Another chief justice of the apex court gave the unfair decision of kicking Nawaz Sharif out of office and later he enjoyed the fruits of his labor with Khan by collecting large funds for a project that never materialised.
The agencies and the judiciary have always worked against the PML-N and its leaders because of their agenda of bringing true democracy to the country. By aiding those whose only interest is to have power, the agencies have left the country on crutches. Many laid down their lives in order to rid Pakistan of terrorism, but because of the decisions of the top leadership, terrorists are back in the country, and only the common man will pay for the sins of a person who did not attend one meeting on counter-terrorism while he was the leader of the house.
The current economic and political crisis is the fruit of the previous leadership’s labor. Their self-absorbed nature and need to keep all power in their hands have left Pakistan in this state of destitution. It would be prudent for the agencies to take a step back and let those who really know how to run the government and country do their job.
