Mashkoor Khan, in his letter to The Nation, reminds Mian Nawaz Sharif of promises he made to the nation. Let us look at the ground realities. A weak prime minister, just like a weak military dictator, cannot tackle the many problems of governance. Just like a military dictator subjugates the parliament and judiciary, a prime minister also needs to have these bodies working for him, and not against him. That is why Mian Nawaz Sharif got the 13th Amendment passed which kept MNAs of all parties on the short leash of party discipline. Then, he got the 14th Amendment passed to curtail President's powers to dismiss governments. He also got 'speedy trial courts' instituted for providing speedy justice to the masses. Instead of cooperating with him in his efforts on behalf of the people, the President and the Chief Justice of the time turned against him, creating hurdles in his governance. Shahbaz Sharif, on the other hand, being free to govern, did wonders for Punjab. Mian Nawaz Sharif would have done the same for Pakistan if he had been allowed to do so. -KHURSHID ANWER, Lahore, via e-mail, September 7.