If one individual has actually lost the political struggle, it is Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan’s three-time Prime Minister, whose fourth-term goal was shattered in the 2024 general elections. It happened despite all the cards he played before and after returning to Pakistan after three years.
This is a lesson for him to learn about what went wrong, as Nawaz was left with little alternative but to nominate his brother Shahbaz Sharif for the premiership for the second time since 2022, as well as to see his cherished daughter Maryam Nawaz make her debut as Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab. If elected by the Punjab Assembly, she will be the first woman Chief Minister.
Nawaz’s long political career is almost finished. He may now graciously dream of Maryam emerging as his strong successor and administrator in a turbulent political landscape, as the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is no longer as powerful as it was in 2013. When Nawaz departed Pakistan during former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s tenure in 2021, the PML-N was well-positioned, particularly in Punjab, but his decision to remain politically dormant for nearly three years cost him dearly, as evidenced by the results of the 2024 election.
Nawaz is most likely to stay in Pakistan to help his daughter and guarantee that the PML-N regains its lost glory, as the party confronts a formidable challenge from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI),
— headed by his political opponent, former Prime Minister Imran Khan. The results of the February 8 election should be eye-opening. Ironically, the PML-N ran as a party and won 79 seats, while the PTI won more than 100 seats despite not having an election symbol. Even Dr Yasmeen Rasheed, the PTI’s imprisoned candidate against Nawaz, gave the PML-N leader a run for his money.
The decision by the PML-N-led coalition, which included the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), to nominate Shehbaz Sharif as Prime Minister was never easy for Nawaz, who had been tipped by the party to become Prime Minister for the fourth time.
Is this the end of Nawaz’s long political career, given his age (more than 70)?
