TO err is human. In all fairness Imran Khan should tender unreserved apology to the apex court for uttering the worst word ‘sharmnak’ when it advanced the date of presidential election from Aug 6 to July 30.

Imran should not have joined the bandwagon of the PPP to create an unnecessary hue and cry with regard to advancing of the aforesaid election date. Imran should have realised that the result of presidential election would not have been any different with slight change in the election date.

The PTI candidate had no chance of winning this election given the overwhelming number of votes the PML-N could muster. The likely result was all too evident from the unfolding political landscape.

Coming to the word ‘sharmnak’, its literal meaning is shameless or shameful. In ordinary life if someone calls someone as shameless, it can result into crossing of swords.

I remember as a child that sometimes we were given a dressing down by our schoolteachers, even cane was used on our tiny palms but if some careless teacher called us ‘shameless’, it hurt us most.

Shameless and ‘baghairat’ are almost synonyms if one goes in its depth. I have a simple question for Mr Khan: how would he react if someone calls him ‘khatarnak’. The word ‘khatarnak’ is used generally for dacoits and criminals.

For a leader of his stature he has to be extremely careful as far as the choice of words is concerned. I quote two examples of leaders for not being careful with the choice of words. Once a Pakistani prime minister at an official banquet at London addressed British Prime Minister John Major as Major John (thinking he might have served in the army).

This caused ripple in the cheerfulness of the British foreign ministry as they were the hosts to Pakistani prime minister. Later, the Pakistani camp formally apologised for this diplomacy disaster.

Another young prime minister who would always mispronounce Urdu words carelessly remarked one evening (at Maghrib time) ‘azaan baj raha hai’. Our leaders (read politicians) must be careful in the choice of their words. They must distinguish that with the wrong placement of one dot, the word ‘khuda’ can become ‘juda’ in Urdu. And there is a vast difference between ‘nuclear’ and ‘unclear’.I will sincerely advise Mr Khan to abandon ‘beja zid’ and apologise sincerely to the Supreme Court for his slip of the tongue (it slips).

Mr Khan has brought laurels for Pakistan. The World Cup, Namal College and Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital are his shining achievements and priceless gifts to the people of Pakistan.

I will draw the attention of the Supreme Court that Aitzaz Ahsan was very close to Imran Khan in criticising the apex court.

SAFIR A. SIDDIQUI
Karachi

Term shameful

THE Supreme Court has said that the term ‘shameful’ used by the PTI chairman Imran Khan while referring to the judiciary was apparently abusive and not acceptable to the court.

May we request the superior judiciary to instruct the government to ensure the deletion of this word from all the written literature, may it be the newspapers or the academic curriculum.

The use of this word should also be banned on the electronic media. A constitutional amendment also needs to be passed to ensure that such abusive words are never repeated in our land of the pure.

DR IRFAN ZAFAR
Islamabad