Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government has braved almost three weeks of opposition protests seeking to force him out in a move that may have just reinforced the regime’s self confidence. Ironically though, the ability of Pakistan’s ruling structure to consolidate its position may still remain in doubt, in a powerful reminder of the tough challenges faced by Pakistan. Having survived the protests through days when Sharif’s position seemed more than simply assailable, the regime appears determined to pat itself on the back.

Although it’s impossible to accurately predict the coming events in politically turbulent Pakistan, the country’s politicians are determined to claim that parliamentary politics have come of age.

The mere fact that ruling and opposition politicians have joined hands to protect the parliament, however, remains devoid of a set of powerful realities across Pakistan. The protests led by Pakistan’s cricket legend Imran Khan and moderate cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri were clearly triggered by key gaps in the way that Pakistan is being run.

In part, the protests received an impetus from events on June 17 this year, when the police in Lahore charged into Qadri’s home on the pretext of removing a security gate installed just outside the premises. Up to 14 people were killed in subsequent clashes. More vitally, however, Sharif’s commitment to the rule of law badly came apart.

Gullu Butt, a local Lahore based individual with a reputation for being a thug was amply filmed by the media while going around in police protection that day, only to smash vehicles parked around Qadri’s home.

But what has made matters much worse is indeed Sharif’s refusal to take tough steps in response to the carnage, notably to oversee the removal of his brother Shahbaz as chief minister of the Punjab province of which Lahore is the capital. Qadri’s reaction in the form of continuing promises to force the prime minister and his brother out of power eventually converged with Khan’s decision to launch a vigorous protest in Islamabad, months after he publicly claimed widespread fraud in the conduct of the 2013 parliamentary elections that brought Sharif to power.

On Saturday, the crowds surrounding Khan and Qadri appeared to be thinner than just two weeks ago when the protests peaked. And yet, this provides no assurance of the prime minister emerging out of the woods following the turmoil in Islamabad. In spite of the apparent light at the end of the tunnel shaped by the expression of unity among key political parties in parliament, Sharif is confronted with an all too visible political crisis across the country. Not only have Khan and Qadri widely punched holes in Pakistan’s emerging democratic order, they have also convinced many on the streets of gaps surrounding the country’s politics.

More vitally, Sharif’s record during his 15-month rule has left much to be desired. The crisis has also coincided with ongoing floods across Pakistan that have so far killed more than 100 people while displacing thousands of households.

Ill-advised focus

Going forward, Pakistan’s emerging challenges will likely become more acute. Since Sharif’s return to Islamabad as prime minister, the government appears to have ignored the real life challenges in Pakistan and largely focused on peripheral issues. Sharif’s passion to focus on infrastructure projects such as fancy roads and train networks has indeed been ill advised in a country where the prevalence of poverty is widespread. Perhaps this is the most vivid example of the prime minister’s detachment from Pakistan’s mainstream at a challenging time in the country’s history.

This indeed is a trend that has hit the handling of political challenges too. In sharp contrast to the demands from Khan and Qadri seeking the resignations of the Sharif brothers, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz (PML-N) refuses to discuss the issue. This appears to be driven by the view that a premature departure of the two leaders is out of question. The refusal has badly exposed a fundamental gap in Pakistan’s emerging democratic fabric.

If the country was indeed a maturing democracy, the younger Sharif who rules as the chief minister of the Punjab would have departed by now. The killings of 14 people on June 17 by police in Lahore have unveiled criticism that the orders came directly from the chief minister’s office. In response, the ruling structure has agreed to hold a high-level inquiry and expose the culprits. Yet, this half-baked reaction in the face of continuing protests in Islamabad is hardly convincing. For an impartial inquiry to follow, it is vital that Shahbaz Sharif must immediately step down as chief minister, in a critical step to ensure an impartial investigation.

Given the emerging controversies surrounding Pakistan’s present-day ruling structure, it is difficult to imagine the government remaining in power for another four years until the completion of its tenure. For Pakistan’s democracy to evolve and consolidate, it is vital for the prime minister to immediately open a multi-pronged dialogue with a variety of stakeholders ranging from members of the ruling structure and the opposition to representatives of grassroot entities with a stake in the future of democracy.

A failure to oversee the continuation of civilian rule in Pakistan — mainly on account of Sharif’s own mistakes — will be a significant setback for the country’s future. In such a sorry eventuality, Sharif will only have himself to blame.

Farhan Bokhari is a Pakistan-based commentator who writes on political and economic matters.