Nawaz Sharif is someone I was beginning to think wasn’t as bad as I had previously assumed. I think I changed my opinion of him because of the compassion he showed over BB’s death. He went straight to the hospital she was in, and in his media statement, he had tears in his eyes. He has been speaking out against the terrorist and has vowed to fight the extremism that is plaguing our land. Apparently the US government is reaching out to him now. Actually, they don’t really have much of a choice do they? No other party can be trusted to rule in a “secular” manner. What disturbs me, however, is the following story that was printed in Daily Times today: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=200815\story_5-1-2008_pg7_8
This is a little too reminiscent of how he treated the media when he was Prime Minister. It’s terribly unethical, unprofessional, and frankly, stupid of him to do such a thing.
Sharif lost his temper and seized the tapes. This is not the Pakistan where media was suppressed the way he did it. He needs to realise and acknowledge that. He also needs to stop being so wishy-washy about his exile agreement. Him and his brother, Shahbaz Sharif, need to get their stories straight. The journalists involved were told: “Ok pack up; this interview can’t be aired because you people have put tough questions and Nawaz has spoken harshly in answering your questions.” WTF?
If Sharif was in a temperamental mood and unprepared to answer the questions he was asked, he should not have agreed to the interview in the first place. He should have cancelled or consulted with his advisers. He needs to be able to answer the tough questions that are posed to him. He can no longer push them aside the way he did ten years ago. He should also see some of BB’s interviews. She knew how to answer any and all questions that were posed to her, no matter how difficult, or even insulting. This incident just proves that he really has no vision for this country and just wants to return to power. This is certainly no way for someone who wants to be the leader of a nation for the third time to behave. I really think this incident is not something to ignore. This probably reveals more about Sharif’s character than the press statements he issues.
We should never forget that Nawaz Sharif constantly tried to suppress the media during both his reigns. This is the man who had Najam Sethi kidnapped from his home in the middle of the night, traumatizing his children who were very young at that time, and locking his wife in the bathroom. Sethi’s disappearance was one of the most deplorable things he did. Once he had him in custody, he didn’t inform anyone of his whereabouts, leaving many wondering if he was dead. Sethi was released only after much international pressure. Apparently he did this because he objected to some critical statements Sethi made in India. He claimed it was “unpatriotic” to do so. He couldn’t take any criticism then and it seems he hasn’t learnt any tolerance even now. The question we need to ask is: can this man ever be trusted again? I truly don’t think so.
Nabiha:
Effulgent article. Prodigious ideas. Briilliant blog. Thanks for sharing….
Oh! on the subject of “Best Pakistani bloggers”…I need to redo the list…yours will be on the list.
Do I have your permission to add your blog to my links
moinansari.wordpress.com
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Comment by moinansari — January 5, 2008 @ 9:09 pm |
Nabiha:
I could not find the Nawaz Sharif Daily Times story on the net. Has it been removed (conspiracy?!?!) or is the URL slightly off.
Moin
Comment by moinansari — January 5, 2008 @ 9:28 pm |
I just checked, and yes, the url is off. The full story is at http://www.dailytimes.com.pk. It’s in the NATIONAL section and has the title “Nawaz loses cool with Business Plus team.” Also, here’s the complete text:
Nawaz loses cool with Business Plus team
ISLAMABAD: The Business Plus management on Friday alleged that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Mian Nawaz Sharif’s media manager Pervaiz Rasheed seized tapes and intimidated their staff after Nawaz lost his temper in an interview. “We were held hostage after the interview when Pervaiz Rasheed, realised that Nawaz had used unbecoming language against President Pervez Musharraf, the Chaudhry brothers and Mushahid Hussain while answering one of my questions,” said Rana Mubashir, the Business Plus Director News, at a press conference here. Mubashir said that all through the interview at Nawaz’s Raiwind house, Nawaz used harsh language and lost his temper over routine questions. “Pervaiz Rasheed put his hand on my shoulder and said, ‘Ok pack up; this interview can’t be aired because you people have put tough questions and Nawaz has spoken harshly in answering your questions,” Mubashir quoted Rasheed as saying. Mubashir said the first question that annoyed Nawaz pertained to a deal he did when signing the exile document for 10 years. “Nawaz got angry when I asked him why he first denied the existence of any exile deal with the government before his homecoming and later admitted that it was for only five years?” Mubashir said the second question was about the allegation of pursuing confrontation politics, which he answered in bad taste. The third question pertained to his strategic road map for steering the country out of the turbulent situation. The PML-N leader’s reply was that President Musharraf’s resignation was the only solution to set the house in order. When Mubashir pressed him to delineate his road map, Nawaz didn’t come up with any answer to the point. “When I asked why the Chaudhry brothers and Mushahid Hussain had left him after 11 years, Nawaz blew his top and asked his media manager to seize the tapes and not let us go until we surrendered the tapes,” Mubashir told the reporters. Mubashir said they were left with no option but to surrender the tapes and ask whether they might conduct a fresh interview with mild questions as required. But Nawaz did not accept his request to hand him back the tapes. “My team and I were like hostages and I condemn it,” Mubashir said, adding that they had reported the incident to Raiwind police for registration of a case but they didn’t know whether their request would be accepted. Business Plus Bureau Chief Saba Jamal, Rana Mubashir and Jasmeen Manzoor have appealed to the government to take notice of the incident and ensure the press freedom. The channel management also reminded the media that Nawaz had also tried to repress the media during his tenure as prime minister. They also thanked local journalists and Rawalpindi-Islamabad Rawalpindi Press Club President Mushtaq Minhas for condemning the incident. atif khan
Comment by Nabiha Meher — January 5, 2008 @ 10:16 pm |
Thanks so much for this post. Very informative. I know next to nothing about Sharif and this was very enlightening. Hopefully, some voting Pakistani citizens will read this as well.
Comment by Erynn Shea Kelly — January 5, 2008 @ 11:26 pm |
Thanks for visiting Erynn. A lot of us young Pakistanis are well aware of these problems. Also, most of us are boycotting the elections since we don’t believe that it is possible to have free and fair elections without a judiciary. I’m also not voting because the PPP candidate (Benazir Bhutto’s party) from my constituency has boycotted the elections and has been under house arrest since October. He will remain under house arrest for three more months. I know I should vote, but I’m quite confused about this topic!
Comment by Nabiha Meher — January 5, 2008 @ 11:36 pm |
Thank you for reposting the story…I searched and could not find it. I am thinking of writing something about it and will give you credit for posting the story
moinansari.wordpress.com
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Every time something bad happens, anti-Pakistan elements come out of the woodwork. Here is a response to the talking heads.”
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http://moinansari.wordpress.com/pakistan-the-new-pressler-amendment-should-be-countered-with-request-for-a-marshall-plan-for-pakistan/
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Say Thank You
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Where is Leadership of the PPP? Why is it behaving like Nero. Stop the arson and the carnage. Ask for a national Day of prayer and reconciliation
<a href=”http://moinansari.wordpress.com/2007/12/30/open-letter-to-asif-zardari-mr-10-where-are-you-where-is-your-leadership-stop-the-carnagestop-the-lootingdont-be-like-nero-who-smiled-while-rome-burned-fast-say-a-prayerstop-the-nonse/
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The CIA connection—Benazir Bhutto assassination was pre-planned, the Zia model with a twist
Benzir Bhuttos revenge from the grave: Annointing a despised and corrupt politician Mr. 10% as her successor
Open letter to Mr. Zardari
The 4th Bhutto assassination is a message to the USA. Hands Off Pakistan
Here we go again! Another Indian prophecy of doom. The first one was in 1947
We would like to refer our readers to the an article on “Toppling the US military” that is worth its weight in gold. Search for it on this site. See: “Kissinger threatened Zulifiqar Ali Bhutto”
Enter a long URL to make tiny:
Comment by moinansari — January 6, 2008 @ 12:44 am |
[...] http://nabihameher.wordpress.com/2008/01/05/nawaz-sharifs-faux-pas/#comment-103 [...]
Pingback by Nawaz loses cool with Business Plus team « Moin Ansari’s Disquisitions & Fulminations — January 6, 2008 @ 2:08 am |
Are we sure that Business Plus is not just fabricating the story about Nawaz Sharif on behalf of let’s say the Chaudhry’s or MQM? Let us not forget, like many amongst us, our journalists are also not above being bought and sold. We cannot take all news items on face value any more!
Comment by Nasir Khan — January 9, 2008 @ 1:37 pm |
Moin,
All your comments ended up being marked as spam, so I’ve only just read them. You’re more than welcome to add my blog to your list. I’m quite flattered. Thanks for the links as well. I’ve read a few of them and enjoyed them.
Nasir,
I agree that our journalists are not infallible. However, this was printed by Daily Times so I doubt it’s a lie. Yes, I know Daily Times is owned by Salman Taseer, who also owns Business Plus, and is a minister in the current caretaker government. But, at the same time, you are right about not taking things at face value. My concern is, however, that if this is true, then it’s a pretty frightening piece of news. The only reason why this might be credible is because this is what he used to do when he was in power!
Comment by Nabiha Meher — January 10, 2008 @ 6:21 pm |
I was watching 30-30 on DAWN News. It’s a TV show where two political rivals get to express their point of view in slots of 30 seconds. Today the two representatives were from PML-Nawaz and MQM. The PML-N representative was grilled about this matter and he did not deny it. He merely said it was an isolated incident, which means that it did happen. He also tried to pawn the story off on the fact that Daily Times is owned by Salman Taseer who is part of the caretaker government.
Comment by Nabiha Meher — January 15, 2008 @ 1:08 am |