NAWAZ Sharif has returned to Pakistan, and the former prime minister and his daughter are in the custody of the law. That is the right state of affairs at the moment.

Mr Sharif has abided by his repeated public pledges to return to Pakistan and the law must be allowed to take its course without impediment or unlawful resistance. What is troubling, however, has been the role of the caretaker administrations at the centre, and particularly in Punjab, in attempting to disrupt and prevent the PML-N from lawfully gathering to protest the incarceration of the party’s de facto leader.

Certainly, the return of Mr Sharif was a politically charged event and the authorities in Punjab needed to be prepared for a law-and-order situation developing on the day.

Situationer: The sombre father and smiling daughter

But sensible planning and preparation by the authorities and what unfolded in Lahore and other parts of Punjab ahead of Mr Sharif’s return were vastly and unacceptably different.

The caretaker administrations at the centre and in Punjab have much to answer for. Mr Sharif was returning to Pakistan to be arrested. Nothing the PML-N supremo had said in the run-up to his return suggested that he was seeking a violent confrontation between his party’s leaders and supporters and law-enforcement personnel.

Arguably, physical resistance, violence or untoward incidents triggered by his supporters would run counter to Mr Sharif’s stated political aims. The PML-N leadership and supporters who took to the streets and wanted to proceed in the direction of the airport had repeatedly called for their protest to remain peaceful. There is another reality in Punjab and the rest of the country: the caretaker administrations and law enforcement are at the peak of their election-related duties.

Read: 'Why is Lahore under siege?' — politicians react to crackdown ahead of Nawaz, Maryam's return

Facilitating political activities from mammoth rallies to corner meetings is the express duty of law enforcement and the caretaker administrations.

The crackdown that unfolded against the PML-N across Punjab, particularly in Lahore, simply cannot be justified, excused or overlooked. Violence, intimidation and threats by the state against peacefully assembling citizens, poll candidates, political activists and party supporters has shredded the reputation of the caretaker Punjab government, and the silence of the caretaker federal government has incriminated it too. Attempts to curb mainstream media coverage of Mr Sharif’s return and the PML-N’s political activities on the day are also deeply regrettable.

Do the caretaker administrations understand or acknowledge the oath of office they have taken?

There is justifiably much direct criticism of Punjab’s caretaker chief minister, Hasan Askari, and the team of ministers he has personally selected. Ostensibly designed to prevent political parties from using the machinery of the state against their political opponents, the caretaker system may have inadvertently become vulnerable to interference from elements within the state itself. If Mr Askari cannot perform his duties as required by the law and Constitution, he should consider resigning.

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2018