Senior PML-N leader signals possibility of early elections in Pakistan to pave way for Nawaz Sharif’s 4th stint as PM: Report

Lahore, May 2 (PTI) A senior leader of the ruling PML-N party has hinted at the possibility of fresh elections in Pakistan within the next two years to pave the way for Nawaz Sharif to secure a record fourth term as prime minister, according to a media report on Thursday.

Senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Javed Latif’s comments came during an interview with a private TV channel.

Nawaz Sharif, 74, was all set to become prime minister for the fourth time but his party failed to get a clear majority in the National Assembly on its own in the February 8 general elections.

In a surprise move, he allowed his 72-year-old younger brother and the incumbent party president Shehbaz Sharif — who is considered the favourite of the military establishment — to lead a six-party coalition government at the Centre.

Latif said whether the elections take place in two or five years, Nawaz Sharif, the PML-N supremo will take the reins of power for the fourth time.

He hinted that early elections could be in the cards within the next two years to pave the way for Nawaz Sharif’s fourth stint as the country’s prime minister, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.

Pressed to explain how Nawaz Sharif could reclaim the top spot within two years, especially with his brother currently occupying it, Latif said it would be possible through elections.

“The elections can happen tomorrow,” he said.

Nawaz Sharif returned to Pakistan from London in October 2023 after ending his nearly four-year-long self-imposed exile, hoping to be the prime minister again.

He predicted that even those who once obstructed Nawaz Sharif’s path to a fourth term as premier would now rally behind him.

He pointed out that a party with a two-thirds majority often struggles to complete its term.

The senior PML-N politician warned that the withdrawal of support from even one coalition party could jeopardise the current government’s survival.

Latif is the only remaining active party member who continues to take swipes at his own party’s central government.

Given the track record of his colleague Rana Sanaullah—who, after throwing jabs at his own party’s central government, promptly joined the same Cabinet he accused of being chosen by the establishment—many in the party view his criticism of the party as Latif’s desperate attempt to bargain for a position in the government, the paper said.

A source within the Prime Minister’s Office revealed that Sanaullah was brought into the cabinet to exert control over him. The source said he was a senior party leader and president of Punjab, adding that any action against him—even if approved by Nawaz Sharif—could have been harmful to the party’s interests.

When questioned about whether Rana Sanaullah and Ishaq Dar’s appointments were decisions made by Shehbaz Sharif, he said he was not at liberty to divulge any specifics, noting that in the PML-N party, Nawaz Sharif remains the founder and his decisions reign supreme.

He said that Latif, inspired by Rana Sanaullah, might have chosen to go all out. He added that it was up to Nawaz Sharif to assess his party leaders who deviated from the party line.