The last time Nawaz Sharif addressed the people of Gujranwala, he was gearing up for a fight. In that October 2020 speech, it was a defiant Nawaz who spoke virtually from London to a crowd gathered in the city’s Jinnah Stadium. That day, he named serving generals who he alleged were behind his ouster. He decried the “state above a state”. On Saturday, over three years later, he stood before his supporters in the very same stadium and asked, “Do you love me? [Yes, they screamed.] I love you too.”

Yesterday, it became clear that although Nawaz may still be bruised by his unceremonious removal as prime minister, the three-time former prime minister is not in the mood for a confrontation. In an exclusive conversation with Dawn just days before the country votes, Nawaz appeared confident about his party’s chances to form a government — but was guarded when probed on delicate issues.

‘All institutions must work together’

“I am not in the mood for revenge,” said Nawaz Sharif, when asked if he would launch an investigation against those he accused of his ouster. “But if you talk about accountability, yes, all those who have violated the Constitution or were involved in wrongdoings must be held accountable.”

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When reminded that he perilously attempted it in his last government with Gen Musharraf, Nawaz said: “The state institutions have to do it together, it is not just the duty or work of one institution. Everyone must work in harmony and they must make sure that those who have done wrong to the country must be held accountable.”

Ex-PM says everyone must ‘work in harmony’ to ensure that those who have done wrong must be held accountable

What happens if there is a backlash, will he back down? “That’s why I am telling you: every single institution of the country must work in harmony,” he repeated, adding that they must make sure that “those who were responsible for the destruction of the country must be held accountable”.

Does he think the next prime minister will suffer the same fate as his predecessors, and be sent packing before five years? “I hope everybody abides by the Constitution of Pakistan, and that everyone respects it. I do. I have never violated the Constitution. Everyone will remain within the four walls of the Constitution. That is my hope.”

And how should a new government work in the extremely limited space for a civilian setup? “The government must try and deliver,” Nawaz said. “When I go to these rallies, I have a feeling that people regret that they lost this for so many years — otherwise they wouldn’t have welcomed me back. If I hadn’t, no one would even look at me.”

Spirit of democracy

On the question of whether he is interested in working with all actors in Pakistan’s political class, Nawaz said: “We have sat together in the past, with the PPP, PTI and all parties of the country. A meeting was held in London where every party except Jamaat-i-Islami signed the Charter of Democracy.”

Nawaz continued: “In 2008 when the PPP formed government in the centre, we enabled them to come into government, as even though they were the largest single party, they did not have an absolute majority. This was in the spirit of cooperation, in the spirit of democracy.”

He criticised the then PPP government’s performance as poor, and said: “At that time, a journalist interviewed me and asked, ’When will you initiate a long march to remove the PPP government? I said, ’For what? We will never remove them through a long march — despite having many complaints against them.”

Nawaz said his party had launched a march to restore judges, but “never to dislodge a government”.

He then addressed the prolonged sit-ins staged by the PTI during his government. “When we were in government, they were staging sit-ins. We were building motorways and power plants, doing all developmental work — and they were busy with dharnas. Is this their version of democracy?”

‘Pakistan must mend fences’

On a question about Pakistan’s relationship with neighbouring countries, Nawaz said: “You cannot make any progress without mending your fences with all your neighbours.”

But is that up to him? “I think it is for everybody to get together and agree to it. Because we have tried all options, we have exhausted all the options, so I think everybody understands today that this is the only option we can exercise.”

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Given that the Kashmir issue is more complicated today than in 2013, when he attempted to engage with India, and that the Narendra Modi government is promoting an intolerant Hindutva ideology, does it make the task impossible?

“Things have been mishandled,” Nawaz said. “Pakistan could have had a good and vibrant foreign policy but we failed to do that. Look what we have around us; in the east, we have India with no good relations; in the west, Afghanistan, and we don’t have good ties with them. Recently, there was an exchange of fire between Pakistan and Iran. We cannot afford to live in this reality.”

He touched on Pakistan’s past relationship with China, during the PML-N government. “We have had a record of a very good relationship with China. The Chinese know we respect this friendship, that is why they launched CPEC when I became PM — and it paused when I left. They know us very well, and they know things were very good [in my term] between China and Pakistan.”

Election atmosphere

With Imran Khan out of the election contest, and the bat symbol blocked, does Nawaz think it is a fair contest? “This is not my fault,” he said, referring to the loss of their symbol. He did not address the larger crackdown against the PTI. “This is the fault of those who did not comply with instructions of the CEC.” So will it be a victory for Nawaz and his party? “I have gone through a number of elections and have a rich experience gauging people’s mood. The mood of this election is as good as any good election of the past. I am hopeful of a good result. The public acknowledges our work and what we have delivered. Had we not, we would have no legs to stand on. They know we delivered, and that’s why they come for us.”

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2024

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