ON Monday, the Supreme Court will begin the next set of hearings that will decide the political fate of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the Panama Papers case. Damaging as the JIT’s findings may be, the Sharif family has not had an opportunity to present its objections to the report and its conclusions. That is what due process is and it ought to be respected — by all sides. Worryingly, there are signals from the political opposition that it may try and force the government into rapid concessions. Be it in the form of street agitation or rumour-mongering about the formation of forward blocs in the PML-N, an unnecessary and undesirable trickle of suggestions has begun that could quickly escalate and have unpredictable consequences for the democratic project. Now is the time for good sense to prevail. Too much pressure and too much adventurism by the opposition could be a recipe for disaster.

Mr Sharif is clearly in a great deal of legal jeopardy and this newspaper has already called on the prime minister to step aside while he fights to clear his and his children’s names in the courts. The prime minister still has time to do the right thing and it is hoped cabinet colleagues and PML-N leaders will counsel him wisely. But while Mr Sharif and his team reflect on the tenability of his position, the opposition should avoid threats that could give the PML-N an excuse to reject necessary decisions. The case against street agitation is particularly strong: the Supreme Court itself is seized of the Panama Papers matter, and proceedings there should never be politically pre-empted. Perhaps reckless elements among the opposition that do not care much for democracy are willing to risk such an approach, but the mainstream political parties certainly ought to reject it.

Rumour-mongering about the formation of forward blocs within the PML-N is a similarly foolish approach. Never mind the constitutional bar on such practices today, what such rumours amount to is an unwelcome reminder of the terrible politics of the 1990s and the ugly horse-trading that it was marked by. The PML-N has a majority in the National Assembly and can elect from its rank a new prime minister — if Prime Minister Sharif decides to step down. That is an internal party decision for the PML-N and outside attempts to prise away some members of the party may not just backfire but could have grave consequences for the democratic order. The Panama Papers were revealed to the world in April 2016. It has taken 15 months and much controversy for the Sharifs to be on the verge of the completion of a historic accountability process. For the sake of democracy and stability, the opposition should act sensibly and honourably in these potentially final important moments. History will judge the opposition well if they do the right thing now.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2017