ALTHOUGH former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has largely kept a low profile after returning to Pakistan in 2023, the PML-N leader broke his silence on Wednesday on sensitive political issues, while speaking to newly elected lawmakers. Sharif was of the view that the “biggest criminals” who had brought the now jailed PTI leader Imran Khan to power should also face justice.
Although Sharif senior refrained from naming names, in 2023 he accused former army chief General Qamar Bajwa, former ISI chief General Faiz Hameed and former Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, as well as other senior judges, of playing a key role in his ouster from the Prime Minister’s House in 2017. While there is little argument that accountability, particularly of those who have interfered in the democratic process, is necessary, such an exercise should not be selective.
In the past, Sharif had taken a stance in favor of civilian supremacy, and he paid for it by losing his job. But his case alone does not offer a holistic view. For decades – long before Khan’s arrival on the political scene – various state institutions played a role in the creation and disintegration of governments. And in the case of individuals, ironically, many of the same elements that Sharif had blamed for his overthrow were seen as involved in the fall of Khan’s government and in helping the PML-N return to power.
For example, General Bajwa was army chief both when Sharif was sent packing and when Khan’s government was overthrown. Therefore, all such episodes must be examined in detail and not simply viewed through a selective lens. It is a bitter truth that politicians, including those in Sharif’s party, as well as state institutions, including the judiciary, have often played with unelected forces to overthrow their rivals through palace intrigues. His role needs greater scrutiny.
Meanwhile, it is notable that while Sharif laments the meddling of such forces, men in his own party, including ministers, sing praises of the hybrid system. Introspection is needed and the political class must reflect on how they themselves create situations that allow non-political forces to seize the levers of power.
Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto signed the Democracy Charter in 2006 to strengthen civilian supremacy. That document establishes that “no party will request the support of the military to come to power or overthrow a democratic government.” Both the PPP and the PML-N, as well as the PTI, have ignored this objective of the CoD and, consequently, have been victims and beneficiaries of the hybrid system.
A new letter may be necessary. To do this, all political forces will have to put aside their differences and unite to reach an agreement and work for a truly democratic constitutional order.
Published in Dawn, November 28, 2025
