Parliament watch: Sharif’s new secret weapon?

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Late on Wednesday night, the country’s private news channels suddenly got wind of the long-awaited meeting between government emissaries and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leaders, which was being held at a five-star hotel at the edge of the Red Zone.

Coming as it did after the military’s call for a peaceful resolution of the prevailing impasse, the development wasn’t exactly surprising.

But just after midnight, as the negotiators emerged from the conference room where they had been holed up for some hours and TV cameras and reporters caught a glimpse of the two teams, the appearance of one man came as a surprise to many.

That man was Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar, who led the five-member government team which included cabinet members Ahsan Iqbal, Abdul Qadir Baloch, Pervaiz Rashid a

nd Zahid Hamid.

Know more: Punjab Governor Sarwar to meet PTI, PAT leadership

The question that seemed to be on everyone’s mind was ‘Why Chaudhry Sarwar?’ Why him, when there is no dearth of battle-hardened and seasoned politicians within the ranks of the ruling party. Surely, with its comfortable 190-member majority in the National Assembly, does the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz really need the Punjab governor – who is a ceremonial figurehead at best – to negotiate on its behalf?

But in recent months, Mr Sarwar has emerged as the top troubleshooter for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and has managed to talk his way out of many-a uncomfortable situation.

It was Mr Sarwar who, on June 23, managed to get Dr Tahirul Qadri to disembark from his re-routed Emirates flight after it landed at Lahore instead of Islamabad.

At the time, he famously asked for the Lahore corps commander to escort them from the tarmac at Lahore airport because Dr Qadri had alleged that the Punjab government may try to harm him and requested a military escort.

How Mr Sarwar convinced Dr Qadri to travel in the governor’s personal convoy to the latter’s Model Town residence, is, as they say, history. But his intervention did end the high drama that day.

Ever since the march towards the capital began, Mr Sarwar has been reactivated: he told reporters on Independence Day that he and Muttahidda Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain had been instrumental in securing an agreement whereby Dr Qadri was allowed to march on Islamabad.

Now that both marches have planted themselves firmly on Constitution Avenue, Mr Sarwar’s task has become more challenging.

He must now help find a way out of the crisis has virtually paralyzed life in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi and – via television – captured the imagination of the entire country.

“Although the residents of the capital are directly affected, everywhere else, people are glued to their TV sets, anxiously waiting for a resolution to this crisis,” an analyst said.

Mr Sarwar is no ordinary man. A millionaire from Glasgow who made his fortune through his family’s wholesale cash and carry business in the UK, Mr Sarwar originally hails from Faisalabad district.

He is no stranger to the political spotlight either. A member of the British House of Commons as the Labour MP from Glasgow, Mr Sarwar has worked under party leaders Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. In this time, he developed something of a reputation as a spendthrift when it came to developing contacts with Pakistani politicians.

It is said that Mr Sarwar not only entertained the Sharifs lavishly while they were in exile in London, but also helped them establish business concerns within the UK.

“He virtually opened his wallet for the Sharif family,” commented a journalist, who had closely followed the Sharif Brothers’ stay in London.

Many say his appointment as governor of Punjab seems like a reward for his goodwill towards the Sharif family during their time in the UK.

Indeed, Mr Sarwar’s appointment came out of nowhere when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif picked him for the office in August 2013. In order to take on his newly acquired role, Mr Sarwar had to renounce his British citizenship.

But his presence on the committee negotiating with the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has raised many eyebrows.

A member of the PTI committee told Dawn, “When I heard a Chaudhry sahib is also part of the government panel, all of us thought they must be talking about Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.”

According to certain sources, the elder Sharif has brought Mr Sarwar in as his chief negotiator because of the latter’s UK connections.

The family of Imran Khan’s ex-wife, Jemima Goldsmith, are very well connected with the British establishment, where Mr Sarwar played a decent innings.

Moreover, it is common knowledge that the PTI chairman is friends with the British royal family, as well as several mainstream British politicians.

“I strongly believe the only reason Mr Sarwar is part of the government’s negotiation team because of his active stint in UK politics, otherwise, he is new to politics in Pakistan,” quipped a PML-N insider.