The need of the hour is for Mian Sahib to take the decisions himself, today
By: Chaudhry Shabir Balochistani
Published By: ANI News Agency
Political parties are more than election symbols, rallies and corridors of power. They stand on the trust that workers place in their leadership. In Balochistan, the Pakistan Muslim League (N) is being tested on exactly that trust, and the test demands timely and unambiguous decisions. Mian Nawaz Sharif must make those decisions himself, and he must make them today.
The party's relationship with Balochistan is not new. During Mian Sahib's tenures, roads, universities and development projects reached places such as Quetta, Gwadar, Khuzdar, Turbat and Noshki. When he visited Quetta in November 2023, dozens of political figures joined the party. It was a sign that the name of Nawaz Sharif still carries weight in the province's political circles.
But reputation is not preserved by past achievements alone. It is made and unmade by present conduct. For years, a perception has persisted in Balochistan that decisions are taken at the centre while the province's loyal workers are left out of the loop. Leaders such as Sanaullah Zehri and Abdul Qadir Baloch have voiced their grievances openly in the past, and those grievances stemmed from a feeling that the provincial leadership was being sidelined. It is easy to dismiss such complaints as personal pique. It is wiser to read them as a sign of organisational weakness.
The worker is any party's real capital. In remote areas and difficult circumstances, with no office or interest to protect, he keeps the party flag aloft. All he asks is that he be heard, that his effort be recognised and that his self-respect not be wounded. When decisions are imposed from above and consultation withers, the worker's morale breaks, and a disheartened worker is soon followed by a distant voter.
A recent example is the party's partnership in the provincial government. Despite being part of the government, the PML-N worker is disheartened and does not feel comfortable with the coalition. The promises the PPP government made to the PML-N are not being fulfilled. Interference in departments continues, and the arrangement to run matters on the basis of parity is not being honoured. In this situation, implementing the two-and-a-half-year agreement is essential. This is not merely a political demand but a requirement for restoring the worker's confidence, and this too is a decision Mian Sahib must take himself.
Another issue concerns ideological colleagues. Every party has people who arrive in the season of power and change direction when the season turns, and others who remain steadfast for the sake of principle. A sensitive province like Balochistan needs leadership that believes in respect for the vote, the supremacy of democracy and the strengthening of the federation. Such colleagues must be given the chance to step forward, so that the party's foundation rests on ideology rather than on individuals alone.
One principle must remain clear: the PML-N's leadership in Balochistan should be of Balochistan. That is both the provincial leadership's right and a political necessity. The trouble is that even today, many decisions are not being taken by the provincial leadership. Decisions made in Islamabad are imposed on Balochistan through officials the party has placed at the centre. When a province's affairs are settled from afar, its leaders and workers feel powerless.
The remedy is not to remove Balochistan's leadership and install someone else. It is to keep leadership in provincial hands while a coordinator at the centre supports the process. I therefore propose that Khawaja Saad Rafique be nominated as Mian Nawaz Sharif's representative, observer and coordinator. His job would not be to impose decisions. It would be to listen to local leaders and workers, ease factionalism, help build the organisation on merit, and carry the province's voice directly to Mian Sahib.
I do not say this on hearsay. I served as president of the Muslim League Youth Balochistan, and even in that period many of the party's affairs were overseen by Khawaja Saad Rafique. I saw at close quarters that he understands the psychology of Balochistan's colleagues. Many who were in the youth wing at that time are part of the mother party today, and Khawaja Sahib knows their temperament, sensitivities and concerns far better than others do. That bond is built not by official orders but by years of companionship.
If someone from the centre must be given this responsibility in any case, it is better to entrust it to a seasoned, sincere and tested Leaguer like Khawaja Saad Rafique than to bring in a new and unfamiliar face. He stood by the party in hard times, endured imprisonment and never compromised on principle.
Critics will say that appointing yet another central figure could reproduce today's problem. The concern is not unreasonable, which is why the limits of the role should be fixed in advance: leadership belongs to Balochistan, while facilitation and coordination belong to Khawaja Sahib.
In the end, the point is the one with which I began. The PML-N has history, experience and leadership. What is missing is a decision that gives the worker confidence and the ideological colleague an opportunity. If Mian Sahib takes notice today, gives the worker confidence, ensures the coalition's promises are fulfilled and the two-and-a-half-year agreement is implemented, and takes practical steps, the PML-N can emerge as a strong political force in Balochistan. In politics, time waits for no one, and history remembers the leadership that decides in time.
