With Pakistan’s economy in tatters and Imran Khan in prison, Nawaz Sharif is being primed for a decisive role in the country’s politics

SALAAM PAKISTAN: Accompanied by daughter Maryam, former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif waves during a rally in Lahore after returning to the country on October 21 (Getty Images)

As Nawaz Sharif made his way up the elevated stage at his party’s show of force at Lahore’s landmark Minar-e-Pakistan on October 21, his daughter Maryam Nawaz pointedly recited a verse from the Quran on the mic. The well-known Arabic verse translates as “Indeed, You [God] can exalt whom You please, and abase whom You please.” The fact that this was the same Quranic verse tweeted by the army’s spokesperson, then Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor, on July 25, 2018, as election results poured in, was not lost on anyone. The results had suggested a final nail in the coffin for Sharif’s party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and a win for Sharif’s rival, Imran Khan.