On the world stage, Shehbaz Sharif is Donald Trump’s beloved “terrific man”. Reciprocating the compliment in his UNGA speech, the Pakistani Prime Minister credited the US President for ending the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict with his “resolute and visionary leadership”.
Like many Pakistani prime ministers before him, Sharif also raised the Kashmir issue asking for its just and fair solution. Besides Afghanistan, Iran, Yemen, and other pressing concerns elsewhere, Kashmir is on the PM’s watchlist. Across the seas, in his much-talked-about beige suit, Sharif took the roleplay of a statesman a tad bit too seriously until he reached home.
It was all going well until it wasn’t. At home and abroad, in war and in peace, Pakistan was in a win-win situation. The jodi of this Prime Minister and the Army Chief was unbeatable. We were told there was no bowler far and wide who could break their partnership. Until the wicked third umpire decided to have some fun.
The new provinces project
It all began with the wishful desire of carving out more provinces within Pakistan because the current political system “had collapsed” and a change was now the need of the hour. The rude surprise sprung on the civilian government, which thought that its love story with the military establishment was forever. The warning shot was fired. With this, like most political fairytales that reach the three–year sell–by date in Pakistan, there is no ‘happily ever after’.
It was the PM’s own cabinet minister who, in a media briefing, blurted out that the current democratic system was no longer delivering. Pakistan needs provinces and now, he said. Mohsin Naqvi, who serves as the Interior Minister and the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, is ironically chairing the collapse of Pakistan cricket bit by bit. Yet he chooses to enjoy the perks of being a minister of a collapsed system. Worried that “cockroaches” will overturn the system notwithstanding the termites who have eaten the democracy for decades. A functioning democratic system in Pakistan is an oxymoron. And who suddenly dreamt of more units is hardly a state secret. The demand later got the seal of approval by the military spokesperson who thinks that people’s aspiration should reflect in the decision on provinces. Sure, a common Pakistani buried in rising food inflation, mounting fuel prices just wants new provinces.
All hell broke loose as the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League saw the demand akin to breaking the country. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari called the minister the “Gorbachev of Pakistan” who wants to divide the country into 30 pieces. Amid charged speeches, the Sindh Assembly passed a resolution rejecting any proposals to divide the province. PPP leader Nisar Khoro said that when they had not fled in fear of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq or Pervez Musharraf, “this field marshal” could not stand against them either. The ‘new provinces’ storm hasn’t settled, and if you go by Naqvi’s resolve, Pakistan will have their own Zohran Mamdani and Sadiq Khan.
All was well
Ever since the May 2025 conflict with India, the government of Shehbaz Sharif has been flying higher and higher. They sang praises of Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir for giving them such a political high. From then, the sky was now the limit for this dream time. Pakistan stopped the “World War III” between the US and Iran, but don’t ask how. After all, having given Donald Trump the credit for ending the Pakistan-India conflict, it was only apt to help him put out his own war. President Trump became an instant fan of the flattery. One Nobel Peace Prize nomination from Pakistan, and Trump now looks at the Field Marshal the way he hasn’t even looked at his wife Melania in several years. That Trump has had Munir’s name on his tongue more than 90 times is a fact that President Asif Ali Zardari wanted us all to celebrate.
The entire world was looking at Pakistan to solve all their problems, for nobody conquers adversity like us. But then we got 99 of our own problems and only one solution. That one man who is running the foreign policy of Pakistan. The Sharif government also expects the Field Marshal to control the population of Pakistan. His bombardment of defence agreements everywhere has actually put the Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, out of work. He is so free that he is busy commenting on Jemima Goldsmith’s second wedding.
When there is a one-window operation, there is always one project up its sleeve. The demand of provinces doesn’t come out of nowhere. There is a method behind the madness. The political parties know that if they don’t play ball, the entire parliamentary system could be replaced by a presidential form of government with several federating units. The international good will is such that no one will oppose the move. Though direct rule doesn’t appeal to the military anymore. But never say never.
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Political déjà vu
All chiefs and all PMs are ‘inseparable’, ‘on the same page’, ‘jodi number 1’, until they aren’t. More recently, Imran Khan and General (rtd) Qamar Javed Bajwa were a blockbuster pair, then we found out that Khan was no longer a reliable lackey. Pakistanis remain in a constant state of political déjà vu but the funniest bit is that no one ever learns. Politicians willingly become pawns to keep this political theatre running. Their excuse is that to grab power from the barrel of the gun, there’s no choice but to strike a deal with the devil. When those who bring them decide to replace them after every few years, the voters suddenly rally around saying, “Jamhoriyat khatray mein parh gayi hai (the democracy is in danger)”.
Earlier, the military would pull civilian governments from life support with the help of the president. As article 58(2)(b) gave the president powers to dissolve national and provincial assemblies. Through the 1990s, both Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto governments were ousted on corruption charges overnight. From 2003, the General Pervez Musharraf-led establishment discovered that there was no need to throw the entire assembly out, an in-house change would suffice. Throwing out the prime ministers and retaining the assemblies became the new norm. From Yousaf Raza Gilani to Nawaz Sharif to Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to Imran Khan, the same script is rehashed.
Shehbaz Sharif might be the next if the simmering conflict over provinces doesn’t fade away. Even though the junior Sharif’s loyalty and flattery to the boots is unmatched. As history is our witness, the winds will change — and when they do, charagh sab ke bujhenge, fauj kisi ki nahin. Even Ahmad Faraz would agree.
Naila Inayat is a journalist from Pakistan. Her X handle is @nailainayat. Views are personal.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)