How does Nawaz Sharif's ouster as Pak PM affect India

When India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise visit to Pakistan, Sharif did acknowledge the same.

India did not comment, but kept a close watch on the developments that unfolded in Pakistan on Friday. Nawaz Sharif was ordered to step down by the Supreme Court in connection with the Panama papers case. What does Sharif stepping down as the PM mean for India?

The first concern is that the army gets stronger in Pakistan. Although the army has always been a major player with Sharif at the helm of affairs there were some checks and balances.

Sharif never challenged the army in Pakistan. However at times he did try to assert himself. Currently there is no leader in Pakistan who can stand up even a little bit to the army.

The other question is will installing Shahbaz Sharif as the PM of Pakistan help the cause.

India would hope that Shahbaz is the PM considering the manner in which he confronted the ISI DG at a closed door meeting in October. Sharif has also managed to keep the army under check to a certain extent by warning it about the growing international isolation of Pakistan.

The Dawn had stated in a report," in a blunt, orchestrated and unprecedented warning, the civilian government has informed the military leadership of a growing international isolation of Pakistan and sought consensus on several key actions by the state."

When India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise visit to Pakistan, Sharif did acknowledge the same. There was promise shown in that meeting. However the army and the ISI decided to derail it in the form of the Pathankot attack. While both leaders did try to maintain ties, the army worsened it in the form of the Uri attack.

What India would worry about is the growing clout of the military in Pakistan. India would prefer a demilitarised Pakistan in the longer run. While the elections in Pakistan are a year away, India would worry about the fact is that there would be no Nawaz Sharif as PM. He has been barred from electoral politics for five years by the SC. There is no strong leadership and India is still unsure how a Shahbaz Sharif would handle the army.

An official in Delhi said that Pakistan has always been dictated by the military. Hence this current scenario would not affect us much. However it is always better that Pakistan has a strong democratically elected leader. There would some amount of check and balance at least.

OneIndia News