The man in charge
COULD Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi have asked for anything more? When he accepted the chair of the speaker of the Punjab Assembly after the 2018 general election, many thought that this was a climbdown for his family. Chaudhry Sahib had been the chief minister of the province during Pervez Musharraf’s rule and was considered the only one among post 1997-rulers who could hold his own against Shahbaz Sharif so far as Punjab chief executives went.
The post of speaker of the provincial assembly now, in many estimations, brought down the gentleman to the level where he stood in the pre-Musharraf era in the snakes and ladders game that Pakistani politics is. The events that have unravelled over the last few weeks are proof of just how wrong these assumptions were.
It has been Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi vs Hamza Shahbaz Sharif and his PML-N in Lahore for the past many days. Speaker sahib has masterfully ensured that he shines out there as the chief anti-N-League symbol on the provincial stage. He has been hogging the limelight with inexperienced PTI hands — Aleem Khan and the rest — badly missing from the scene at a most crucial time.
As these lines were being written, for the last many days, the lawmakers belonging to the PML-N were gathering on the steps of the Punjab Assembly to vent their frustration at the conduct of the speaker specifically. They were protesting the bar on a handful of PML-N provincial legislators from entering the assembly, happy in their belief to be in the news, with belligerent members such as Azma Bukhari and Imran Nazir stealing the thunder from Hamza Shahbaz Sharif. Inside the assembly the impression getting stronger by the day is that it is Pervaiz Elahi who is in charge, not just of the house but of the government’s counter-opposition thrust in Punjab too.
It has been Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi vs Hamza Shahbaz Sharif and his PML-N in Lahore for the past many days.
This does vindicate ‘the electable’ one more time. Much as the PTI chief has in the past been criticised for his increased dependence on big names from other parties willing to ally themselves with his cause, the post-2018 election situation has proven the worth of some of the most famous turncoats who are now at Prime Minister Imran Khan’s disposal.
A large percentage of the ministers in the federal cabinet are experienced souls, having served the nation as ministers under previous governments. Many of them, like the Pervaiz Elahi family, had their brightest moment in politics during the Gen Musharraf government. As members of Imran Khan’s ruling team, these distinguished individuals, spurred on obviously by an urge to finally take the country out of a crisis, must be the models the PTI’s sentimental lot can and should be inspired by.
In any case, these veterans appear to be better equipped to deal with the troublemaking elements in any party in the opposition — the PML-N, PPP and JUI-F, or any other party for that matter. In this particular case, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi brings in a bit of personal history to introduce an element of anger in his attacks on the PML-N.
He is an estranged member of the Sharif camp, albeit as someone who was betrayed by Nawaz Sharif in favour of Shahbaz Sharif as the chief minister of Punjab. Hence when Speaker sahib speaks about the tarbiyat or grooming of the ‘kid’ challenging his rule on the steps of the assembly he might sound all the more convincing to those wary of the Sharif dynasty’s ways.
He must be thankful to old family pal Hamza Shahbaz for providing him with a golden opportunity to assert his role. But before that he should be grateful for the formula that brought in Sardar Usman Buzdar as the chief minister of Punjab. He is turning out to be a true democrat, this sardar from Dera Ghazi Khan. Far from grudging other actors their place on stage, he is quite ready to allow them acts that would be his to perform by right and say lines that might best fit his character.
Sardar Usman Buzdar emerged as the silent victor after a fleet of people aspiring to be chief minister was paraded through the power street. For a brief period after the election, it was suggested that Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, of his own PML-Q faction, could well be a candidate for the prize post. Whereas the idea was a little hard to stomach for many who were impressed by the sheer number the PTI had in its favour, the election of speaker of the Punjab Assembly did drive home the point about the importance of being Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.
A past master at the game, Chaudhry Sahib, as an Imran Khan nominee, managed to demonstrate his ability to woo beyond his camp’s strength. He got 201 votes in the election for speaker, justifying his old reputation. In the election for chief minister later, Sardar Usman Buzdar could muster only 186.
That moment marked the beginning of the return of good times for the Chaudhry family that has managed to find patrons for politics — not just in committed military reformers such as Zia and Musharraf, but, in recent years, in celebrated civilian kingmakers such as Asif Zardari. From being dismissed as a Musharraf remnant who had outlived his utility, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi rose to be a deputy prime minister in the PPP government under Mr Zardari’s watch.
The comeback continues. In recent times, the Chaudhries’ position in politics has been reinforced. Apart from the noticeable enactment of the headmaster’s role by Pervaiz Elahi, a couple of PML-Q nominees, coincidentally also important members of the Chaudhry family, have scored easy by-election wins in Punjab at a time when the PTI has lost votes and seats not just in this province but also in KP. This is yet more proof that in certain ways and certain situations, the PML-Q — read the Chaudhries of Gujrat — are more reliable and consistent than anyone else. Perhaps they are speaking the truth when they say that titles don’t matter to them.
The writer is Dawn’s resident editor in Lahore.
Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2018
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