LAHORE - Estranged Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan’s complaints against the party leadership might be well founded, but the time he chose to air them could not be worse.

This has caused the leadership much embarrassment, especially because the five-judge bench of the Supreme Court is due to announce its verdict in the Panama Papers case today. The Sharifs are already angry because of the kind of treatment they got at the hands of the Joint Investigation Team, and the Chakri leader’s news conference only added to their pain.

As a trusted friend, Nisar could have shown patience for some more time, like he has been doing so far. But for reasons best known to him he preferred to criticize the ruling party leaders at a time they would be needing his sympathy and support.

It’s true that compared to many other party leaders, Nisar is a straightforward person and will not like to stoop to the level his colleagues could go to serve their interests. But he may also make mistakes, miscalculations and say something which is not factually true.

The writer, based in Lahore, is witness to a meeting between Chaudhry Nisar and Mian Nawaz Sharif at Jeddah’s Saroor Palace where many other people were also present.

The Sharifs were living in exile under an agreement, and Pakistanis from various walks of life used to visit Saroor Palace to meet them.

At a dinner a number of leaders exchanged views with the deposed prime minister and informed him about the situation back in Pakistan.

Chaudhry Nisar told Mr Sharif that people were fed up with the Musharraf rule and wanted a change.  He also gave an impression as if the masses were waiting for the return home of the Sharifs to lead the cause.

After the dinner meeting, the then-former prime minister had a walk with me on the palace lawns and sought my views on the situation.

I told him that people were preparing for elections and there was no movement against the military dictator. In elections, I said, people were more interested in winning their seats and had no time to pay attention to anything else.

Since the exiled leaders knew well the kind of situation in elections, he appreciated the honest opinion I had given him.

This is to say that Nisar is also like many others in the party. He is not infallible.

His Thursday’s news conference despite various leaders’ efforts to dissuade him indicates that all is not well in the party.  Also, this means that the relations between the Punjab chief minister and the Chakri leader are not as strong as they used to be. 

Shahbaz and Nisar were reported to have ideal understanding.  Whenever the party had any problem with the military leadership, both tried to remove misunderstandings between the two sides. Nisar’s links with the military establishment and Shahbaz’s persuasive skills averted many a crisis in the past.

But it is difficult to say whether their relationship will remain unaffected even after Thursday’s news conference.

It is said that while Shahbaz has a strong desire to become the prime minister on account of his ability to deliver, not necessarily the disqualification of his elder brother, Nisar has the ambition to lead the country’s biggest province.

Ch Nisar in his presser was bitter towards, what he called, elected and unelected flatterers who have been misleading Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and were instrumental in bringing the government to the brink.

Though he did not name anyone, his reference was quite clear if seen in the backdrop of recent political history of the ruling party.

The biggest target of his criticism could not be anyone else but Khwaja Muhammad Asif, with whom he has not been on talking terms for a long time. Khwaja Asif, who holds key portfolios of defence ministry as well as water and power, has been very close to the prime minister – playing a key role in almost all major decisions taken by PML-N and the government during the Panamagate crisis.

Then there are unelected persons like Irfan Siddique and recently elected Senator, Asif Kirmani, who Nisar has indicated have played a major role in misleading the Premier and making things worse for Sharifs, their government and the party.

Another major target of Nisar’s diatribe was apparently prime minister’s own daughter, Maryam Nawaz, who is considered Nawaz Sharif’s political heir apparent. Nisar believes that it was the media cell working under Maryam’s command that ran the social media campaign against him, and that has endangered her father’s government.

The Friday judgment of the apex court will set a new direction of the country’s politics. It may also affect the friendships and relationships of the political leaders. The entire nation is anxiously waiting for that.

Chaudhry Nisar told Mr Sharif that people were fed up with the Musharraf rule and wanted a change.  He also gave an impression as if the masses were waiting for the return home of the Sharifs to lead the cause.

After the dinner meeting, the then-former prime minister had a walk with me on the palace lawns and sought my views on the situation.

I told him that people were preparing for elections and there was no movement against the military dictator. In elections, I said, people were more interested in winning their seats and had no time to pay attention to anything else.

Since the exiled leaders knew well the kind of situation in elections, he appreciated the honest opinion I had given him.

This is to say that Nisar is also like many others in the party. He is not infallible.

His Thursday’s news conference despite various leaders’ efforts to dissuade him indicates that all is not well in the party.  Also, this means that the relations between the Punjab chief minister and the Chakri leader are not as strong as they used to be. 

Shahbaz and Nisar were reported to have ideal understanding.  Whenever the party had any problem with the military leadership, both tried to remove misunderstandings between the two sides. Nisar’s links with the military establishment and Shahbaz’s persuasive skills averted many a crisis in the past.

But it is difficult to say whether their relationship will remain unaffected even after Thursday’s news conference.

It is said that while Shahbaz has a strong desire to become the prime minister on account of his ability to deliver, not necessarily the disqualification of his elder brother, Nisar has the ambition to lead the country’s biggest province.

Ch Nisar in his presser was bitter towards, what he called, elected and unelected flatterers who have been misleading Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and were instrumental in bringing the government to the brink.

Though he did not name anyone, his reference was quite clear if seen in the backdrop of recent political history of the ruling party.

The biggest target of his criticism could not be anyone else but Khwaja Muhammad Asif, with whom he has not been on talking terms for a long time. Khwaja Asif, who holds key portfolios of defence ministry as well as water and power, has been very close to the prime minister – playing a key role in almost all major decisions taken by PML-N and the government during the Panamagate crisis.

Then there are unelected persons like Irfan Siddique and recently elected Senator, Asif Kirmani, who Nisar has indicated have played a major role in misleading the Premier and making things worse for Sharifs, their government and the party. Another major target of Nisar’s diatribe was apparently prime minister’s own daughter, Maryam Nawaz, who is considered Nawaz Sharif’s political heir apparent. Nisar believes that it was the media cell working under Maryam’s command that ran the social media campaign against him, and that has endangered her father’s government.

The Friday judgment of the apex court will set a new direction of the country’s politics. It may also affect the friendships and relationships of the political leaders. The entire nation is anxiously waiting for that.­