LAHORE - Supreme Court’s decision to let Nawaz Sharif get out of jail and seek treatment of all diseases claimed to be causing serious threat to his life, has not only surprised everyone, it has raised more questions than it answered.

The unprecedented verdict announced by the Chief Justice himself, has various dimensions.

Where it allows Nawaz Sharif to afford treatment of his choice as a free bird, it also puts a stop to the expectations that he may proceed abroad for treatment.

On the other hand, this verdict has provided what can be termed a ‘relief’ to the PTI government which was under tremendous pressure fearing any untoward eventuality that might take place inside the jail.

It is because the former Prime Minister had refused to get treatment from any government facility and his health condition was deteriorating day by day.

Also, the PTI is contented to see that the court has not allowed Nawaz Sharif to proceed abroad for treatment.

The government would have been in trouble had the court allowed him to go abroad. In such a scenario, the government might have been compelled to eat the bitter pill of removing his name from the ECL.

A temporary ceasefire likely between PML-N, PTI

Information Minister Fawad Ch Tuesday said Sharif family had now accepted [as a result of the court orders] what the Government had offered them much before.

Political pundits claim that PML-N leader’s release on bail is part of the alleged deal what is popularly termed as “Dheel”. These circles further strengthen their argument by quoting the ‘relief’ given to Mian Shehbaz Sharif the same day. His name has been removed from the ECL after the Lahore High Court granted him bail in a case wherein he was accused of committing corruption, misuse of power and nepotism.

It is important to note that top PML-N leaders including Mian Nawaz Sharif, Mian Shehbaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Hamza Shehbaz had stopped targeting the judiciary and the Establishment much before the expected relief they got yesterday.

Political circles are of the view that there are chances that the PML-N leader may get another relief when his petition seeking suspension of his sentence comes up before Islamabad High Court.

There is also a view that Tuesday’s court decision is not unprecedented given the fact that two under-trial prisoners, Pervez Musharraf and Dr Asim Hussain were earlier allowed to go abroad despite facing serious charges of treason and mega corruption respectively.

But many legal wizards also believe that the court decision has set a new precedent with far-reaching consequences especially for the political prisoners.

It is also being anticipated that PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari may seek a similar relief from courts citing his health condition which is stated to be even worse than that of Mian Nawaz Sharif.

Senior lawyers are now expecting more bail applications coming from ordinary prisoners on health grounds.

Now the important question is how the release of PML-N leader would affect the current political situation where the PPP and the JUI-F have already undergone a protest mode. If Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is leading a train march across Sindh, Maulana Fazlur Rehman is set to lead a million march in Sargodha on March 31.

Will the PML-N keep itself aloof from rest of Opposition or join their ranks to give a tough time to the PTI’s fragile governments in the Centre and Punjab. This question will find an answer in a couple of weeks. It is yet to been seen if Mian Nawaz Sharif will focus entirely on his treatment or will he reach out to the party cadres to reorganise the party ahead of the upcoming Local Bodies elections.

He may also find some time to reconcile the two cousins-Maryam and Hamza-by determining their future roles.   

Analysts, however, believe that Sharifs will silence their guns during these six weeks in anticipation of a bigger relief from the courts.

They also insist that the SC verdict would politically isolate the PPP at a time when its leaders-Asif Ali Zardari, Faryal Talpur and Bilawal Bhutto are facing serious charges of operating fake currency accounts.

Some analysts are interpreting the decision as a win-win situation for all the stakeholders-the PTI, the PML-N and the court itself. While the PML-N has stepped back from its earlier demand for Nawaz Sharif’s treatment abroad, the PTI also feels satisfied that he has not been allowed to leave the country. Perhaps the Supreme Court was also not ready to take the blame if something wrong had happened to Nawaz Sharif while in confinement.

Moreover, the PML-N has succeeded in establishing its point that Nawaz Sharif is seriously ill and needed treatment from doctors of his choice.

The coming weeks may witness a temporary ceasefire between the PTI and the PML-N leaders who have been engaged in political point scoring over the health of the former prime minister.