ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan’s former prime minister, is set to commence his election campaign next week for the upcoming general elections in February. His party, considered a front-runner, gained momentum after the Supreme Court cleared him to run for a fourth term. The delayed campaign for the Feb 8 poll is expected to energize a previously lackluster race, especially in the wake of Sharif’s main rival, former premier Imran Khan, being jailed and disqualified from contesting.
“We will, God willing, start our mass campaign on Jan. 15,” said Pervaiz Rashid, a close aide to Sharif, adding that the former premier would address a rally two days later. Analysts suggest that the powerful military in the South Asian nation has thrown its support behind Sharif, giving him an advantage in a country where military influence plays a crucial role in shaping governments.
“Sharif is a front-runner because he and his party are back in the military’s good graces,” noted Michael Kugelman, a South Asia specialist at the Wilson Center. “In the polarized, vendetta-driven environment of Pakistani politics, it is brutally simple: Nawaz is a bitter rival of Imran Khan, and that serves the army well, which turned on Khan and doesn’t want him to return to power.” The military’s stance remains unconfirmed, as its public relations wing did not respond to requests for comments.
Despite Sharif’s return from self-imposed exile in October, his party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), had not initiated its campaign until now due to concerns about a lifetime ban on him contesting polls. However, on Monday, the Supreme Court lifted such bans, allowing Sharif to participate in the elections. While other major players like the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have already begun campaigns, the two largest parties, PML-N and Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), have yet to fully engage in the campaign, even with the elections just four weeks away.
