Saudi snub is not Nawaz Sharif's failure

I have always been a critic of Nawaz Sharif and his style of government. As for Panama, it is my maintained position that he should step down and clear his name before assuming any political role again. Having said that, at the snub Nawaz got in Riyadh, I believe it is a result of his reluctance to join an open assault on Iran. And so the sidelining was of a Pakistani premier who realized the social cost of taking sides in an Arab-Iran conflict for his country. What Nawaz has done, even Asif Zardari or Imran Khan would have done the same. For Pakistan's elected representatives do realize that such a conflict will be an all out social implosion of the country. For all their failures and misgivings, Pakistan's elected representatives, even someone as reckless and under debt of Saudis as Nawaz Sharif, have shown caution when making calls that can lead to social breakdown of the country. Be it playing the balancing act in Saudi-Iran conflict, or refusing to budge to the pressure to provide Iran with atomic weapons as was advised by the henchman Gen. Beg, or staring clear of Yemen war, elected representative have been cautious and pretty mature.
Embracing the war on Soviet Union and China in the guise of SEATO and CENTO, joining Stingers' war for a payment worth peanuts, falling on knees on one call of Powell, or being part of a sectarian conflict for a salary worth millions of dollars a year are traits of another breed of rulers and strong men.
Nawaz Sharif is weak right now and post-Panama he should go. But political point scoring beyond a certain point on this issue (Saudi snub) may force his hand to do what he has avoided thus far. Nawaz should go but at the same time his political opponents should extend him a hand of support if he refuses to be part of this mad war in our west. 

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