No sign of returning.

WHEN it comes to the much-anticipated but delayed homecoming of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, the conversations being had by members of the party are reminiscent of scenes from Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, in which the protagonists spend all their time waiting for someone who does not show up. Mr Sharif's return to Pakistan, say PML-N politicians, will address the party's leadership crisis and help it recover its lost political capital. Yet, the reality is that Mr Sharif remains in London from where he controls his party back home. This week, Saad Rafique became the latest party representative to say Mr Sharif will return, a claim that was dismissed by Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb who said there were no set plans.

But the PML-N continues to look towards the senior Sharif to bring the party back to life in Punjab, where the PTI's popularity has been a reality check even for those in denial about public support for their rival. Mr Sharif's return and participation in the electoral campaign, his party believes, is the only chance...