Letter from Lahore: City awaits Shahbaz's return

A car seen cruising along the canal in Lahore recently bore a telling message. Two giant portraits of Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif had been screen-printed across its rear windscreen in violation of the rules. A line in Urdu verse below them insisted that the 'Kingly brothers' would soon rule Punjab again.

This was only one of the signs that the Sharif brothers have again come to occupy the political centre stage. In Lahore's commercial heartland, most traders insist they remain with the Sharifs and hold that despite the military regime's efforts, nothing against them has been proved.

The drama involving Shahbaz Sharif's election as president of the PML-N has, of course, greatly added to the anticipation regarding the elections ahead.

Suddenly, a greater sense of life has been injected into the political scene with Shahbaz seen as a candidate many in Lahore look towards as a leader of true standing, somewhat in contrast to the reticent Mian Azhar.

But while the city awaits what they hope will be a return home by Shahbaz, if this does take place, the former Punjab chief minister will find that much has changed. His old residence in Model Town, for decades known as the local stronghold of the Sharifs, has been converted into a home for destitute women.

All signs of the Sharif family's occupancy have been removed from the premises and no green flags of the PML can be seen fluttering atop the houses now owned by the Punjab government.

But, in people's memories, the presence of the Sharifs remains strongly rooted. The long, green belt cutting off the Model Town area from the main Ferozepur Road and providing a much-needed recreational spot is still known as the "Nawaz Sharif Park" even if the signboards describing it as such have vanished.

And, those seeking directions still know the Sharif residences as a key landmark in the area, though these buildings now serve quite a different purpose. While the Sharif-run charitable hospital and school concerns continue their functions, resource constraints have clearly led to a decline in the services they are able to offer.

It is uncertain what initiatives the family is taking to keep these concerns functional, with administrators left to run the facilities maintaining they have been provided with no clear orders or directions on how to manage matters financially.

Shahbaz Sharif, if he does make a comeback, will find too that his office at the shady 7-Club Road has altered almost beyond recognition. The once busy building now stands almost deserted and is said to be used for secret meetings by bureaucrats and other officials, who are planning how to strengthen their 'chosen' candidates for elections in October.

These candidates are, of course, those who in all likelihood will be lined up against Shahbaz and his men. And, while across Lahore, the plan for improving the city initiated by Shahbaz continues, with small parks, picnic spots and green areas being added on almost each month, other aspects of civic life have been neglected.

The manholes that have claimed the lives of multiple children stand open once more, garbage collection is not as efficient as during the time when Shahbaz himself carried out random inspections, and rainwater drainage systems have once more been allowed to collapse.

Many have argued that in his attention to Lahore, Shahbaz was guilty of ignoring other cities and towns across the province.

To a large extent, this appeared to be true and was one indication of the rather chequered period in office of a man known as a superb administrator, but also a ruthless enemy of those he disliked and a ruler prone at times to unjustifiable arrogance.

It is yet to be seen whether Shahbaz Sharif has changed at all in his style of leadership or whether he retains the same flaws as well as the strengths that he brought with him to the chief ministership of Punjab during a tenure that extended just over two and a half years.