By Raja Arsalan Khan

Maryam Nawaz – a much-hated personality by the rivals – will now run the affairs of Punjab – Pakistan’s most populace province – after facing all the negative media coverage and political victimisation for years. It’s certainly an achievement.

Another distinction is to become the first woman chief minister in the country’s history, as she will face all the propaganda that the strong women face around the globe. Her job is, however, even more challenging given the fact that the PTI founding chairman has made the obsolete jirga culture and other repressive anti-women traditions popular in the society – the first mainstream politician in Pakistan to do.

But February 26 will be remembered in the history for the fact that the political scion of the elder Sharif has taken over the throne of Punjab – the stronghold of Nawaz Sharif who failed in his bid to enter the prime minister office for a record fourth term, but still remains a kingmaker most influential politician in Pakistan.

Maryam Nawaz has been crowned after everything was employed to make Nawaz Sharif a history. It was repeatedly announced that his politics had come to an end and no one would even mention his name. However, the project failed – at least partially. Yes! They are able to stop him from governing Pakistan again, but he has managed “transfer of power” to his scion, which itself another first for the country.

THE HATE

Rivals from all castes and creeds obviously hate the Sharif clan, especially Nawaz Sharif. So the fury towards his political heiress isn’t surprising. But it is Maryam Nawaz herself who has created more enemies thanks to her views on political affairs, which ended up she being listed as an undesirable hardliner.

In a TV interview some years ago, she didn’t hesitate noting that Nawaz Sharif should have adopted a stricter approach during his 2013-17 government – a clear sign what was to come.

Maryam Nawaz stood by her father like rock and pleaded her case vigorously when the PML-N had seemingly entered hibernation. She replicated her mother Kulsoom Nawaz who had challenged Pervez Musharraf after the 199 coup.

She kept the party alive and resonated with the people due to her sheer bravery. The PML-N support base had already accepted her as the future leader much before 2024 and everyone within the party knows they are nothing without Nawaz Sharif. Just check where the likes of Chaudhry Nisar, Sardar Mehtab Abbasi, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Miftah Ismail are right now.

But the PDM government damaged the vote bank and only elder Sharif’s return salvaged the PML-N, which begins and ends with Nawaz Sharif in the recently held elections. Their views about the no-confidence motion and the strategy after that are well-known.

THE DIFFERENCE

The sole aim of the post-Oct 30, 2011 political and social engineering was to remove Nawaz Sharif from political landscape, but his understanding and mastery of realpolitik meant that it wasn’t an easy job. Using all the state apparatus and unleashing mainstream and social media didn’t work. However, it was his daughter proved to be a major hurdle.

In a completely hostile environment, she didn’t surrender and challenged those openly who had used Panama Papers to remove the three-time prime minister.

One can easily say that the PML-N would have nothing to attract the supporters if a docile Shehbaz Sharif was the party’s face in Nawaz Sharif’s absence. Maryam Nawaz is the difference, making her a magnate to attract all the hatred.

THE CHANGE

It was the PTI which projected itself as the change in all spheres of life. But the only thing it brought to Pakistan is the resettling the TTP terrorists and mainstreaming the love for redundant tribal and feudal values – no one had ever dared to do so at the national level in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, those trying to highlight this hypocrisy on the part of PTI founder was laughed at in media and by liberal and progressive intelligentsia, thus keeping their tradition of missing the main point.

At the same time, everyone [intentionally] ignored another fact – the rising number of women, especially the young ones, attending the PML-N rallies and meetings. Obviously, a massive transformation for a conservative party like PML-N.

One shouldn’t forget that this trend was visible even before 2013 elections, but gained momentum after Maryam Nawaz started actively participating in politics.

So, the change isn’t just at the top political level. It is much deeper at social level and has been transforming the PML-N support base. However, the opinion makers won’t talk about it because it negates the myth of “all youth for PTI”.

THE ODDS AND THE CHOICES

Maryam Nawaz will surely face resistance from hostile media and political enemies. No one welcomes the coronation of a foe. But similar reaction is expected from within the party as well as by bureaucracy. It isn’t easy to digest an independent woman.

At the same time, her success will mainly depend upon how quickly she is able to stamp her authority and provide some visible relief to the inflation-stricken masses. She can’t control the energy tariffs and dollar exchange rate, but should be able to ensure that the district administration is in action to make the traders and retailers follow the daily price lists for food items and control hoarding.

This single measure will exhibit the fact that the state has returned – a missing item since 2018 – and give people some hope by showing that there is a government which can control the affairs.

As far as the development projects are concerned, public transport should be a focus, as skyrocketing transportation costs are only fuelling inflation and worsening the cost of living crisis. The existing mass transit systems in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan must be expanded and introduced in other urban centres.

Meanwhile, improving and expanding the healthcare infrastructure and services must remain the top government job. It’s the post-18th Amendment Pakistan, where the provinces have all the financial resources and powers.

Maryam Nawaz must avoid the “underpass and signal-free corridor development model” followed religiously by the caretaker government. Spending public money for the 5 per cent affluent car owners isn’t development, it is serving the elite and their cronies.

On the other hand, there is nothing wrong in revisiting the past policies. Hence, Maryam Nawaz must understand that Pakistan can’t afford transfer of money to the private hospitals through health card. She must solely work on developing health sector across Punjab so that the people have access to all the modern services at their doorstep.

THE CONNECTION

The history-making Punjab chief minister must ensure that she remains in touch with the people and listens to their demands and grievances. Her policies, actions and persona must reflect the masses’ desires and ambitions. It’s not a difficult job. She has Nawaz Sharif’s political rise as a model. His rivals laughed at him for paye and nihari as well as accent, but the same criticism made him acceptable to the ordinary people.

For this purpose, she must develop a mechanism that provides continuous and unhindered feedback. There is nothing in spending 30 or 40 minutes out of 24 hours daily on reading the responses and suggestions given by the people.

Similarly, she should remove all the hurdles both within the party and the government to make her more accessible to the masses and thus new ideas. Those “blocking the view” can’t be true friends, they must be serving their own interests.

Maryam Nawaz can also tilt the balance in her future by reducing dependence on the traditional PML-N voters by attracting more women [not from the affluent] who can influence others around them. It will be a huge development in a country like Pakistan where women mainly follow the male family members.

Lastly, the working and lower-middle classes as well as the “genuine middle class” in both urban and rural areas should be sole target of Maryam Sharif – a priority that must be reflected in her appearance, political policies and development model.

The urban upper middle class as well as those faking as “middle class” should neither be the target population nor they can be trusted for any loyalty shift in future. They will always remain as the base of anti-Nawaz Sharif forces.

No matter what happens, Maryam Nawaz can’t afford one losing one thing – being disconnected from the masses. Too much is at stake right now. It’s all about Nawaz Sharif’s legacy and her political future.