Islamabad, Pakistan

Three times ousted Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif has nothing left to lose, that is perhaps the most charitable explanation of his decision to return home and face the music in prison. Sharif is returning to Pakistan along with his daughter Maryam Nawaz after they were sentenced last week by a corruption court over the purchase of high-end properties in London, dealing a serious blow to his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party's bid weeks ahead of the July 25 polls.

Advertisment

Nawaz wants to show that he's not afraid of the military, that although sentenced to 10 years in prison, his fight against the men in khaki who have ruled Pakistan for 34 of its 70 years as an independent nation, will go on.

But shrewd politician that he is, Nawaz is milking his homecoming for all its worth, hoping to cash in on that sympathy vote.

The release of a photo of him saying farewell to wife Kulsoom, who is on ventilator in a London clinic, was carefully calculated. South Asian electorate have time and again been swayed by such images, usually of family or the loss of a family member. Kulsoom Nawaz has been ill for some time and news of her condition and treatment has been widely reported in Pakistan. So the sympathy factor is already there.

Advertisment

In the event her condition deteriorates closer to polling day, one can count on Nawaz Sharif's party to spread the word. Every vote counts and in times such as this, Nawaz needs to demonstrate the breadth of his support in Pakistan and more so, in his home province Punjab.

"When, god willing, the sun rises on July 25, and when the results come out at night, god willing they will prove that the leadership of Mian Nawaz Sharif has served Pakistan with great sincerity," his brother Shahbaz Sharif recently said triumphantly ahead of Nawaz's return.

If his party does well in Punjab, it means a reprieve from the pressure PML-N is currently under from the army. Nawaz can then stem the defections of his cadre to Imran Khan's party and turn the pressure on the army. It may even help him to get out of prison. If he gets out, one can expect Nawaz to go hammer and tongs at the army. It's clear there's no longer any love lost between the two.

Advertisment

He needs to stem the challenge from Imran Khan whose call for probity in public life is resonating with a section of the public.  

"Public is demanding accountability of corrupt leaders of political parties. Now, each time there is an attempt to hold them accountable, they all get together and start saying its anti-democratic, and in this case they are saying its pre-poll rigging," Imran Khan said.

This is also about preserving Nawaz Sharif's legacy for the next generation of the family to take over. It is presumed to be his daughter Maryam, but the legacy he bequeaths her must be credible. He has a war on his hands.