With friends like these…

This letter refers to the news story ‘Shehbaz unimpressive as prime minister?’ (September 11, 2022). The article mentions that the current PM’s underwhelming performance is not only under fire from political opponents but from some members of his governing coalition as well. Within less than a year in power, PM Shehbaz Sharif may have irreparably damaged his reputation as a capable and skilled administrator, which he painstakingly built during his tenure as CM Punjab. Pundits have offered many reasons for the PM’s disappointing tenure but, arguably, it was a mistake for him to claim the PM seat when he did and all that has followed is merely an inevitable consequence.

Shehbaz Sharif is a victim of the hasty and reckless political decisions of the PDM. In my opinion, what the PPP foresaw was this exact situation the current setup finds itself in and it’s just what the PPP was looking for to ensure its future existence in politics. It is a well-played hand by not only the PPP but the other PDM members as well, barring the PML-N. The latter now stands to lose its home ground to the PTI, a defeat which, right now, it is hard to see the PML-N recovering from.

Anas A Khan

Edmonton, Canada