Warm welcome home for Sharifs

Lahore: The base of political activity in Lahore has switched from the homes of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and his cousin Pervaiz Ellahi - leaders of the decisively defeated Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam (PML-Q) - to the residences of Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif at Model Town and the suburb of Raiwind.

The homes of the Chaudrys, located along the placidly flowing Lahore Canal, seem rather desolate already. No one has bothered to take down the now tattered party banners and emblems still strung up outside.

Lahore's voters have given former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif the best welcome they could have hoped for.

Their PML-Nawaz swept all the seats up for grabs at national and provincial level in their home city, bar one, which went to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

PML-N insiders say the results, echoed across the Punjab, took even the Sharifs by surprise.

Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined their party, which President Pervez Musharraf and his allies made such a concerted effort to demolish after the Sharifs' exile in 2000, would make such a remarkable comeback.

Loyalty

But the vote for the Sharifs, born and bred Lahorites known to revel in the city's culinary specialities, goes beyond issues of loyalty. People hope that with Shahbaz Sharif - already named as the candidate for Punjab chief minister - development work will resume.

The Sharifs are, in many ways, best remembered for the table-top smooth Lahore-Islamabad motorway, which makes it possible to traverse the distance of just under 300 kilometres between the cities in four hours of bump-free driving.

Many hope the return of Shahbaz will help ensure the completion of planned transport and road projects in Lahore. The reputation of the younger Sharif as a tough administrator means there are expectations he may also be able to rein in the out of control law and order situation.

"The Sharifs are a part of Lahore. They understand us and our problems, so I voted for them," said Arshad Ahmad, 25, a student.