KARACHI: While the nation is waiting with bated breath for the Supreme Court verdict in the Panama Papers case, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday appeared remarkably unworried when he delivered a light-hearted speech at a Holi event in Karachi and quipped amid peals of laughter that 10 years ago, he could have sung a Mohammad Rafi song as well as the legendary playback singer.

At the event, which was organised by the PML-N’s minority wing, one of the leaders greeted the PM in his speech by symbolically reading the lyrics of famous Rafi song, Baharo phool barsao, mera mehboob aaya hai.

When the PM came to deliver his speech he referred to the song and said he would have himself sung it to them 10 years ago and the audience would not have found any difference between his and Mohammad Rafi’s voice.

And when a supporter started chanting the party’s signature slogan, Dekho dekho kaun aaya, sher aaya sher aaya (Look who’s here, the lion) in the middle of his speech, he gestured to him to stop and said in a lighter vein that the people had been watching him for a long time now.

The PM chose to translate certain difficult Urdu words from his written speech to his audience and also spoke extempore. But it was his advice to Kheal Das Kohistani, the general secretary of the Sindh chapter of the PML-N minority wing, to lose weight that drew gales of laughter from the audience, while it appeared that the PM himself certainly enjoyed the moment.

He was speaking about his government’s achievement in restoring law and order when he suddenly asked Mr Kohistani to confirm whether the incidents of kidnapping of members of the Hindu and business community had reduced. Before Mr Kohistani endorsed the PM’s statement, he brought the audience into the conversation asking them “to please tell Kheal Das to reduce his weight”.

Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2017