ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif turned up in the National Assembly on Tuesday, bringing smiles to the faces of party lawmakers who seldom get a chance to shake his hand or even be in his presence.

He was welcomed into the house with the customary thumping of desks by lawmakers who rose in their seats to greet him. Soon after the PM settled down in the seat reserved for the leader of the house in the front row, party legislators, notably of women legislators, began to move towards him for more one-on-one greetings.

As luck would have it, the PM accepted the greetings of the few who were at the front of the queue, but could not entertain all those who approached him.

While a second group of women legislators headed towards the PM’s seat, he asked Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sheikh Aftab to speak to them instead, ostensibly because he needed to focus on house business.

This meant that for the rest of the time that the PM remained in the house, Mr Aftab was reduced to asking approaching members not to disturb the leader of the house.

The episode, which was witnessed by many present on the press gallery, led a ruling party lawmaker to remark, “We only get to see him in the house. Since the PM’s House is virtually out of bound for us, that’s why we get excited whenever he is around.”

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2015

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