LAHORE: PML-N President Sheh­baz Sharif has taken a U-turn on his earlier claim that he had been a “darling of the military establishment” for the last 30 years.

“Had I been close to the establishment, I wouldn’t have gone to jail and been kept in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) dungeon [in the past],” Mr Shehbaz said in response to a question during a talk with digital media representatives on Wednesday.

In his earlier media interactions, Mr Shehbaz had said, “Main tees saal say establishment ki aankh ka taara hoon (I am an apple of the eye of the establishment for the last 30 years).

The PML-N leadership has been defending its position of being close to the establishment since the homecoming of former premier Nawaz Sharif in October last year. Even the “Ladla” (blue-eyed of the establishment) tag has been haunting the elder Sharif, as his party claims that he will emerge as the “Ladla” of the people.

Credits PDM govt for saving Pakistan from default

Rival parties, especially the PPP, have accused the Sharifs of colluding with the powers that be to return to power after the Feb 8 polls.

When asked whether the PML-N should sign an agreement with other players to prevent a prime minister from being sent to jail every two years, Mr Shehbaz avoided a direct reply, saying, “There was no political prisoner in the last tenure of Nawaz Sharif.”

When asked whether the PDM government, led by him, made the lives of the masses miserable in terms of inflation and price hikes, and if it would be different if he got another chance, Mr Shehbaz took credit for saving Pakistan from default during the 16-month PDM government.

He blamed the Imran Khan government for the economic woes of the country but did not express a desire to become premier again. “If Nawaz Sharif comes to power after the Feb 8 polls, he will steer the country out of crises,” he said.

Mr Shehbaz redefined the party’s earlier narrative “vote ko izzat do (give respect to the ballot)”, saying, “coming up to the expectations of the voters is, in fact, giving respect to the ballot”.

He talked about rigging in the 2018 polls, which he said aimed at stopping the PML-N from returning to power. However, he termed the 2024 election “very important”, stating that it should be free and fair for a “strong democracy and economy”.

He further said that the purpose for which Pakistan came into being had yet to be fulfilled. “We need to learn a lesson from past mistakes to move forward,” he said.

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2024