EXILE is nothing new for Pakistan’s political class. Leaders have often slipped away to safer foreign climes fearing persecution at home by the powers that be, while at times strongmen have allowed ‘troublesome’ politicians to leave Pakistan. Former PM and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif is no stranger to exile. While he has been in the UK since 2019 after getting relief from the courts, he had spent a much lengthier exile in Saudi Arabia after Gen Musharraf’s coup. Apart from Mr Sharif, other leaders have also chosen foreign locales to ride out the storm at home. These include former PM Benazir Bhutto, while MQM leader Altaf Hussain has been leading a comfortable life in the British capital since fleeing Pakistan around three decades ago. But it is not just political leaders who have sought refuge abroad. Former military ruler Gen Musharraf — currently ill— also left the country fearing legal problems after he was out of office.

Coming back to Nawaz Sharif, many in Pakistan, especially his supporters, are wondering when Mian Sahib will return to his homeland. Talking to the media in London after a party huddle on Thursday, Mr Sharif promised to take the country out of the quagmire it is stuck in. However, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, who had been summoned to the UK, was non-committal about the date of the elder Sharif’s return, saying instead, that he will “lead the party’s election campaign” in Pakistan. Moreover, Maryam Nawaz, who has been with her father in London since last October, is also showing no signs of returning to the country, though Mr Sanaullah told the media the PML-N’s recently christened chief organiser will be back in Pakistan “next week”. Mian Sahib has little to worry about. His party rules Pakistan, the legal obstacles preventing his return are being removed one by one, and presumably the establishment is also not averse to his return. Then what is stopping him? The country is going through multiple crises, the foremost of which include an imminent economic collapse, political dissonance and resurgent terrorism. If Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz are serious about offering solutions to Pakistan’s myriad problems, then they need to return home and lead from the front. Holding court in London and summoning ministers for audiences will not do when the people of Pakistan are bravely confronting multiple challenges.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2023