Comparisons are normal for political parties, whether in power or out of it. But the PML-N, just 18 months through its third term in power, finds itself in an unenviable situation. Ironically, people who suffered the bad governance of its predecessor, the PPP, seem to be judging which one proved worse.

Much to their chagrin, the two Sharif brothers reigning supreme both at the Centre and in the most populous province of Punjab are finding it difficult to keep the promises the party had made at the time of elections, and continues to drum them up when challenges and worries have been growing for rulers all over the world.

Observers entertain no hope for good if the PML-N leadership persisted in its inefficient ways, only the country going downhill.

Above all the crises, it was its failure to resolve the power crisis that cost the PPP heavily in the May 2013 general elections - and brought those to power who promised the sky to the electorate. In contrast to its strategic coalition rule in all the four provinces from 2008 to 2013, the PPP was wiped out from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, reduced to a minuscule group in Punjab and could save its face only in Sindh, its home ground.

In 2012, the then prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani asked the media persons, accompanying him on a trip, if the PPP stood a chance to win the forthcoming general elections. One response that spoke for the majority of the journalists was: “Only if your government improves the electricity supply can you entertain that thought. Otherwise, forget Punjab for sure.”

But in the terminal months of the PPP government, scheduled and unscheduled power shutdowns across the country increased and the party paid for that at the polls.

Imran Khan and his PTI may accuse the PML-N of rigging the 2013 elections, notably in Punjab, but the same charge from PPP would have rung hollow with the millions who suffered its bad governance.

However, at least, the PPP leaders realize, if not own, that their poor performance cost them dearly. Former PPP lawmaker and chairman Public Accounts Committee Nadeem Afzal Chan admits that the party failed to ease the electricity crisis.

“With the pitiless media continuously monitoring governance issues, no political government can survive unless it delivers, that is addresses people’s problems,” he said when asked to comment on the performance of the incumbent PML-N government.

Another PPP leader, predicting a tough summer ahead, expected the same people and media who brought his party down for bad governance, to start comparing how the PPP fared in performance in comparison to the present day PML-N.

“May be they find some good words for us now, for whatever the odds our government did not try to transfer the burden to common man, as Senator Dar (the present finance minister) is busy doing in obedience to the International Monetary Fund,” he said, but requested anonymity.

It appears the gravity of the situation has started sinking in the minds of the ranks and file of the ruling PML-N. “Forget about winning next general elections,” a senior party official was overheard intoning a colleague. “It will be a miracle if Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif completes his five-year term unscathed,” he said.

Party officials accept that every passing month sees the graph of performance of their government going down. Said one: “If the two Sharif brothers believe they can keep their popularity level above their rivals’ by showing off metro bus and distributing laptops among students, they are mistaken. Somebody is giving wrong advice to them.”

Above all, the official said, delegating powers to the military to stay in power runs the risk of losing all in the worst scenario. In the least, it certainly creates a wrong perception. “At the end of the day people will evaluate what the PML-N did for them, not for what it did for the military commanders,” said the official.

Even the officials privy to the Sharif government’s efforts to ease the crippling energy crisis, don’t appear hopeful of any success in the near future. According to one of them, the current oil crisis is just a trailer. “The full three-hour movie of drama and action is yet to be played out,” he said.

An incumbent senior minister agreed with the view that the coming summer will be “a testing time” for the government. Last summer the PML-N, which had just taken the reins of power, could escape responsibility by blaming everything bad on the predecessor PPP. But come June, it will complete two years in government.

“We will be in for tough explanations, if there is no improvement in providing electricity,” said a mournful party official.

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2015

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