As the political son and heir of the late General Zia, he was the establishment's favorite. His ouster is the first fissure in the illiberal constituency built by General Zia during his long tenure. Nawaz may have gone to prison, but Pakistan is still run under the myopic policies of the elites. They have switched their support to Musharaf. Yet, unless the descent into economic chaos can be reversed, Musharaf is in trouble.
Uncertainty therefore haunts the new rulers.
To please the conservative elites, they need to hound the democratic alternative. To consolidate their grip on the establishment, they need to eliminate Nawaz. Their pursuit of Nawaz and the popular forces is tinged with the same passion as Nawaz's hounding of his political adversaries. It is more troublesome in that they are challenging both political parties and falling between two stools. Given that scenario, they dig the same hole Nawaz dug, allowing the country to continue its slide into recession and social upheaval by concentrating on vendetta.