Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's rejection of the demand for his resignation in the wake of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report which concluded that he and his family not only concealed assets from tax authorities, but also committed perjury by submitting fake documents to conceal information, is a desperate show of bravado by a besieged leader. In reality, it is the country's Supreme Court that is expected to decide his fate when it meets on Monday next. An official statement issued by the government said the Cabinet had reposed full confidence in the leadership of Nawaz Sharif and endorsed his decision not to step down. This is a pressure tactic by Sharif which would come to nought if the apex court rules against him. The army has been lying low on the subject in the hope that the judiciary would deal with Nawaz Sharif but there are indications that it would like him to go. It would not be wrong to say therefore that the Prime Minister is on a precipice and that the best he can hope for is a short lease of life.
Sharif mocked at the opposition and the media at the Cabinet meeting by saying his party, the PML(N), bagged more votes in general elections than the aggregate of those demanding his resignation. “I will not resign on the demand of a group of conspirators. The journey of progress will not be allowed to derail as the country has already paid a huge price due to political crises in the past,” he was quoted as saying. But that is a weak defence considering that the JIT appointed by the Supreme Court is in the process of making its mind known. Two judges of the apex court have already declared the Prime Minister as not being truthful. If three judges agree on the findings of JIT, Sharif could face disqualification from politics. Opposition leaders Imran Khan of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) and Bilawal Bhutto of Pakistan's Peoples Party (PPP) too have warned that “democracy could be in danger” if Nawaz Sharif did not agree to step down. The odds are indeed stacked against Nawaz Sharif in the foreseeable future.
