Three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday took oath as an ordinary lawmaker in the 16th session of Pakistan's National Assembly, days after giving up his bid to lead the country for a record fourth time.
A quirk of fate following the poor show in the electoral battle led Nawaz, 74, the supremo of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party to abandon his claim to the prime minister's position to his younger brother Shehbaz, 72.
Sharif is back in Parliament after seven long years. His terms as the prime minister include the first from 1990-1993, then 1997-1999, and the last from 2013-2017, none of them for a complete five years.
Amid sloganeering, Nawaz Sharif took oath along with his brother Shehbaz.
"Historic visuals from the 16th National Assembly oath-taking ceremony!" the PML-N X handle posted along with the hashtag #MeraQuaidPhirSeAya and a 1:18 minute video.
The video showed the smiling elder Sharif entering the Parliament, then walking towards the many members of his party and shaking hands, with all the while a party song that said Sher Aaya' (Lion Nawaz Sharif has come) playing in the background.
As per the Constitution, a party must win 133 out of 265 contested seats in the 266-member National Assembly to form a government.
Independent candidates a majority backed by 71-year-old jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party won 93 National Assembly seats. The PML-N won 75 seats while the PPP came third with 54 seats. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) has 17 seats.
That left PML-N and PPP to ally along with four smaller parties to keep Khan's PTI out of power. As part of the arrangement, instead of Nawaz, it was Shehbaz who was to don the premier's hat, a deal said to have the backing of the powerful military.
The nomination of Shehbaz Sharif as the next prime minister by Nawaz Sharif, who himself was eyeing the plum post for a record fourth time, had surprised many within and outside the party.
However, the PML-N leaders and Nawaz Sharif's daughter Mariam Nawaz, have reiterated that Nawaz Sharif is not quitting politics and he would continue to guide the party.
Ironically, a pinned post from the President PMLN's X handle still reads: "The President of PMLN Shehbaz Sharif, during the news conference, reaffirmed that Quaid PML-N Nawaz Sharif will become the Prime Minister."Sandeshkhali— BJP’s missed target or TMC’s ‘scripted’ story?
Shahjahan Sheikh, the main accused in the Sandeshkhali atrocities against women, was arrested by the West Bengal state police within 24 hours of the Calcutta High Court giving a free hand to CBI and ED.
Sandeshkhali — a name that resonated in the dailies across the nation — was in the lead headlines when Sheikh was arrested by the West Bengal Police in the early hours on Thursday.
The development appeared like a much-awaited outcome of a suspense-action riddled event, which has been developing since January 5, when the Enforcement Directorate officials were attacked by a mob when they went to raid Shahjahan’s premises as part of a probe in connection to the ration scam.
There is little doubt that the high-octane drama surrounding Sandeshkhali appeared like the Bharatiya Janata Party’s move to shift the focus from the farmer’s protest.
The arrest of Shahjahan, too, within 24 hours of the Calcutta High Court giving free hand to the central investigative agencies — CBI and ED — to arrest the culprit underscores State’s promptness to not let the BJP take the credit of solving the matter.
Notably, the developments that unfurled in the run-up to the arrest, find substance in the primary opposition’s claim of calling the turn of events 'scripted'.
It was February 26, when the Trinamool Congress had set a deadline of seven days to arrest Shahjahan and on February 29, he is nabbed by the state police, at the backdrop of another development— the BJP was setting the stage for the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to show up on March 1.
The state BJP leaders were doing a two-day sit-in demonstration, which was to end today.
Now, when the opposition leaders are denoting the culmination of the issue to be scripted, it reminds one of TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee’s statement where she had accused the BJP of ‘scripting’ the Sandeshkhali incident for political gains.
Banerjee was speaking at an event in the Birbhum district of the state when one of the associates of Shahjahan, Shibu Hazra, was already booked. “The incident was made to happen, so it has taken place. They are trying to disrupt the peaceful decorum of the state,” said Banerjee.
West Bengal Chief Minister Banerjee levelled allegations brought by the BJP to be baseless and hailed the TMC for never supporting any injustice. However, the chronology of events leaves room for speculation.
From the perspective of the TMC, justice is delayed, not denied to the victims of Sandeshkhali.
The BJP, on the contrary, certainly missed an opportunity as PM Modi’s robust speech — if he comes to Bengal tomorrow — will be a miss out on a primary topic, Sandeshkhali.
While it is unfair for the fourth pillar of democracy to suggest who ‘scripted’ the Sandeshkhali story, with its culmination coming to a close, which political party will be able to reap political dividends will give the impression that whether Sandeshkhali was a missed target for the BJP or TMC sailed against the odds.
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