The Pakistan Supreme Court’s ruling on Thursday has again reset political calculators. The court stated that Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz “under Article 15 of the Constitution have an inalienable right to enter and remain in the country, as citizens of Pakistan”. The next day Dawn welcomed the verdict for its legal rectitude in rejecting the government’s case that its accord with the Sharifs barred their return. The political implications are also beneficial: “If the polls are to have any credibility it is essential that all political parties and their leaders should be allowed to participate. That is the only way to ensure a level playing field and make the exercise meaningful. The experience of the 2002 elections clearly establishes that if leaders are kept out of the contest by devising unfair means a vacuum is created that is not good for the country.”

Sharif’s probable participation in elections also alters Benazir Bhutto’s gameplan. According to Friday’s The News, “The PML-N is sure to get a fillip to its political fortunes. At one level, Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif, it appears, did strike a deal with a military dictator in exchange for living in exile and not spending time in a Pakistani prison... However, their conduct in recent months, particularly the refusal to budge from a position fervently opposed to the president seeking re-election while retaining the post of army chief together with the PPP’s apparent deal-making pursuits has made the Sharif brothers look principled. Arguably, they remain the most potent political force in Punjab...”

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