Nawaz Sharif vs Asif Zardari.

When Nawaz Sharif took PML-N out of coalition in the centre three years ago, most of the political analysts thought it was an unwise move and considered Asif Zardari a better player in politics. In reality they failed to see what Nawaz saw in Zardari. He realised that Zardari was least interested in fulfilling articles of CoD - the then pinnacle of politics. Keeping Zardari's past record of appetite for corruption in mind, Nawaz Sharif played a clever political move and kept PPP in Punjab against the wishes of many around him. At that time he was accused of losing political game to Zardari's shrewd politics.

Three years on Mr Sharif is having the last laugh on two accounts. First, when the PPP ministers in the centre and other provinces were busy in alleged corrupt practices he, through Shehbaz Sharif, controlled the ministers from PPP in Punjab and as a result not a single finger was pointed at them. Second, good governance in Punjab remained far better than in any other provinces and the centre confirmed by independent surveys.

After achieving his goals vis-a-vis PPP and knowing that the next elections are just at horizon, Nawaz Sharif played another shrewd game by breaking coalition partnership with PPP in Punjab. Now, while PPP is going down the drains because of Zardari's political short-sightedness and his habit of recruiting non-desirable corrupt friends; Nawaz Sharif is concentrating on reorganising and strengthening PML-N all over Pakistan. His steady politics proved all those political gurus wrong who thought Asif Zardari would defeat Nawaz Sharif in the political arena.