No hero's welcome.

The PML(N)'s cancellation of rallies in Lahore only occurred because the first two rallies held to whip up support for a huge turnout for party QQuaid Mian Nawaz Sharif's return did not yield the desired resu;ts. Both illustrated very pointedly the problems the party faces. At Chief Organizer Maryam Nawaz's rally, the turnout was poor. This could be blamed on poor organization, which is a reflection of the fact that the party organization is in poor shape. Then at the other, party chief and outgoing Prime Minister Mian Shehbaz Sharif the windows of his vehicles smashed in. This shows that his year and a half as PM at the head of the coalition that ousted the PTI and its chief, Imran Khan, was wildly unsuccessful in winning public approval.

If Mian Nawaz thinks that he will be welcomed with open arms on October 21, when he is scheduled to return, he should think again. The party organization is in disarray, and may not get as many people to turn up as Mian Nawaz wishes. One reason is that no one knows when elections will take place, with a date not having been announced. That means that the MNAs and MPAs tasked with bringianng a fixed minimum number of people to Lahore are not willing to shell out for the transport and food that...