A vacuum has overborn the PML(N)’s senior leadership since Nawaz Sharif’s impromptu hospitalisation leading to his exit from the country in 2019. It is unfortunate to write that the party which had spearheaded the country’s politics for almost three decades is unable to fulfil many of the basic necessities the country longs for – financial stability, ample energy supply, or even ambitious future prospects. Those reigning the party nowadays have been running amuck in an attempt to sort what little the previous government had left of the country into some sort of disformed jigsaw puzzle in order to bring some sense of clarity to the overall situation; this has come to no avail. Stalwarts under the same umbrella have collided into each other like headless chickens under current governance.
Also read: Jinnah was right
Maryam Nawaz is looking to change this. The daughter of the namesake PML(N) supremo, she plans to radically re-organise the ailing party to a platform fit to thrive under a twenty-first century institution. With tacit and sheer determination under her belt, her return to Pakistan signifies a drastic shift in misogynist sentiments taking a toll. Noticing systemic disfunction overtake the party, her uncle, the prime minister, has appointed her as senior vice president of the party, along with enacting the title of chief organiser upon her. A more befitting title couldn’t have been commandeered onto her; she has repeatedly spoken about her desires of ushering the party into one which heeds the advice of women—something even Jinnah had propagated, in saying that no nation could “rise to the height of glory, unless your women are side by side with you.” In this, she is hell-bent on focusing the party’s resources on its digital outlook, as well as its youth workers. The PTI has long been utilising such strategies in order to boost its popularity amongst its adolescent following; as such, it is a breath of fresh air to witness the PML(N) dead-set on accomplishing this as well. Social media has become an increasingly important facet for political parties to consider in Pakistan due to its ability to reach large and diverse audiences at a moment’s notice. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are already chock-full of accounts covering PML(N) affairs; its direct and personal approach to reaching regular citizens is keystone to any political party’s agenda to furthering their ideologies. In a country where traditional media is controlled by a small number of powerful interests, it is a medium which allows for parties to bypass traditional gatekeepers of the freedom of press without much hassle.
Maryam Nawaz’s promises are crucial to how the following months will play out leading to this year’s planned general elections. It is now up to her to lift the restraints from the necks of those working against the very foundations of the country’s missions in order to let it prosper to its fullest extent under the reigning government.
