LAHORE: Pakistanis in the city of Lahore expressed mixed feelings on Saturday over the return of thrice-elected former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after four years of self-imposed exile, with some hopeful the “experienced” politician would alleviate the South Asian country’s myriad political and economic challenges while others questioned his honesty.
Sharif’s last term as PM ended in 2017 when he was disqualified by the Supreme Court over allegations over his personal wealth. In 2018, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison in a corruption case involving purchases of luxury apartments in London. The same year, he got seven years jail in another case involving his failure to prove the source of funds to set up a steel mill.
Sharif was released from jail on medical bail in March 2019 and in November that year was allowed to go to London for treatment. He has since lived in the UK until his return to Pakistan today, Saturday, where he will address a rally in Lahore and effectively kickoff his election campaign for polls due in January.
It is widely believed that his return has been made possible through a deal with the Pakistan military, which often pulls the shoestrings of politics in Pakistan and has ruled the country directly for almost half its history. Sharif’s party has repeatedly denied a deal with the army over his return while the military has not commented on the matter.
Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party became hugely unpopular after the removal from the prime minister’s office in a no-trust vote in April 2022 of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan. Sharif’s brother Shehbaz Sharif replaced Khan and though he failed to improve the economy, he saved Pakistan from default by securing a $3 billion IMF deal. His tenure ended in August and Pakistan is currently being ruled by a caretaker government that is constitutionally mandated to oversee elections.
“There should be consistency for Pakistan, that’s the most important thing in terms of growth, in terms of economic prosperity of people,” banker Tayyab Malik told Arab News at Lahore’s Liberty Market.
“I think if he’s returning, he should return for good, not just a couple of years. I think for me personally more than democracy, consistency is more important for this country.”
Yango Driver Muhammad Arshad Jamil, 46, said he was happy “a good, qualified politician” was returning to Pakistan.
“Inshallah, [we] hope that Pakistan’s situation will improve again to the same level that he [Sharif] left in 2017-18,” Jamil told Arab News.
“He is an industrialist, a businessman, so he would think about business. If he would think about business, people would also get work. Industries and motorways will be built creating good opportunities for people.”
Supporters of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif wait for his arrival for a welcoming rally at a park in Lahore on October 21, 2023. (AP)
The cab driver said he hoped “Nawaz Sharif will come again and complete five years,” referring to the fact that no Pakistani prime minister has ever completed a full five-year term in office.
However, many Pakistanis said they were disappointed that Sharif had been allowed to return and run for elections despite corruption scandals and convictions.
“It [Sharif’s return] doesn’t feel good. What has he done for Pakistan? He looted Pakistan,” said housewife Nida Babar, a supporter of ex-PM Khan who said she believed his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party would come to power if free and fair elections were held.
“Imran Khan was sincere to his country. Nawaz Sharif has never been sincere with his country,” she added. “If elections are conducted sincerely, PTI is strong.”
Fifth grader Muhammad Affan Ahmed also said he “rejected” Sharif’s return.
“We like Imran Khan because he was sincere and was running the government right,” the student said. “He [Sharif] went there [to London] for four weeks, it’s been four years and he’s coming back now.”
But businessman Abdur Rehman said he hoped an “experienced” politician like Sharif would be able to help improve Pakistan’s economy, shrugging off the graft accusations.
“One man is not doing corruption, in every institution, everywhere, even a small businessman or in a shop, corruption is taking place,” he told Arab News in Lahore’s upscale Gulberg area.
“Nawaz Sharif might be involved in corruption, good for him. Everyone is involved in corruption but he knows how to run the system.”
