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In 2009, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had been hitting one political high after another as the Sharif brothers led the long march for the restoration of the judiciary. One survey then had claimed that 80 per cent of those polled had termed Mian Nawaz Sharif their favourite leader. In March 2012, exactly three years on, the times have drastically changed for the party: unfavourable opinion is at an all-time high, and it's also obvious that the PML-N is acutely aware of this - rather than badgering for early elections at every possible opportunity, it has quieted down and is focusing on regaining lost ground.
In Pakistani politics, blame game is a must even if it's hushed and the case is no different here: some within the party blame the "kali nazar", or the evil eye, for its fall from grace, others queue the blame on the tsunami-heralding new kid on the block, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI).
Party insiders say that Mian brothers are still reeling from the shock they got in Oct 2011 when the PTI had managed to amass over 100,000 people at Minar-i-Pakistan in Lahore, a city which has been a stronghold of the PML-N since 1990s.
The PTI, which on its part has for the last a few months mellowed down on its aggressive campaigns, dealt a second blow to the PML-N when it managed to defect long-time PML-N stalwart Mukhdoom Javed Hashmi who had single-handedly run the PML-N during General Musharraf's regime when the Sharif brothers were in exile in Saudi Arabia. He was severely persecuted by the military regime, but he stood by his party leadership.
After the 2008 elections, Mr Hashmi felt he wasn't rewarded for his unflinching loyalty and was ignored by the party leaders, and decided to part ways.
However, analysts and political observers outside the party insist that the PTI is the least of PML-N's problems.
They all point their fingers at the family-based politics within the PML-N which has hindered decentralisation of power.
The end result is that the PML-N's political ambitions largely centre around the fact that Mian Nawaz Sharif remains its Quaid and his brother Shahbaz Sharif is elected unopposed as the party president in Punjab.
This assertion is backed by Mr Hashmi's statement when he defected, whereby he accused the party leadership of running the show in an authoritative way without listening to the party's rank and file.
Such myopic politics never lets anyone go far and so is the case with the PML-N which after the exhaustion of all ammunition by the Mian brothers has been left directionless, and politics at both the federal and provincial levels have suffered.
A senior political journalist in conversation with this scribe opined if the PML-N had focused on good governance in Punjab, it would've been better placed right now.
After all, the province returns 148 MNAs on general seats and 35 women on reserved seats in the house of 342. “It should not have focused on spending billions of rupees of schemes, such as the laptop distribution project, which attracts media attention but has nothing in common with the life of the common man,” he said.
“By not addressing the issue of Seraiki province, the PML-N has lost crucial ground in the south to the PPP and PTI,” he added.
Meanwhile, the PML-N's maneuverings at the federal level have not yielded results either.
When American businessmen, Ijaz Mansoor, spilled the beans on the memogate issue, Mian Nawaz Sharif rushed to the Supreme Court.
It is said that Mr Sharif was confident that the memo issue would prove to be a fatal blow for the Zardari-Gilani setup, and had requested to the apex court in person for the establishment of a commission to investigate the matter, which could have "serious repercussions on the national security".
However, Mr Sharif lost interest in the case at the same pace as the security agencies did, which did not go unnoticed.
Akram Sheikh, counsel for Ijaz Mansoor, otherwise a strong supporter of the PML-N, took a dig at the party's leadership in a TV interview when he said that the PML-N had not followed the case feverishly at the apex court.
In so many words, Mr Sheikh said just because of political expediencies Mr Sharif has decided to keep mum on memo case.
Now with the Mehran Bank scandal rearing like a hydra-headed monster with Younas Habib claiming to have personally handed over millions of rupees to both Sharif brothers, things are not looking up for the PML-N.
No one knows how unscathed the party will emerge, but it's not going without a whimper for sure.
As a last ditch effort it has taken on board the hyperactive Marvi Memon, but it will be a case of laying all eggs in one basket.
For the PML-N to consolidate its position, it would have to revamp its party image.
