ISLAMABAD: Senior journalist Farooq Aqdas has seen many political seasons come and go in the capital. Having covered parliament for decades, he can honestly say he has ‘seen it all’.

But the scenes witnessed in the National Assembly on Monday, following the election of Shehbaz Sharif as prime minister, were unprecedented – even for this veteran reporter.

“I have seen former prime minister Benazir Bhutto – after her government was toppled – moving from the government to the opposition benches. But this was the first time in history an opposition leader has become prime minister.”

The significance of this historic event was also not lost on Nusrat Javeed, a seasoned journalist who has seen many parliaments come and go.

But in his estimation, the former prime minister and his party members should have respected parliamentary tradition by at least contesting the election for prime minister, especially after fielding Shah Mahmood Qureshi as a candidate.

Mr Javeed was also critical of President Arif Alvi, saying he should have administered oath to Mr Sharif.

Senior parliamentary reporter MB Soomro agreed, saying that even the PPP, just a year after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, had agreed to be sworn-in by then-President Musharraf, who was the main character accused of being responsible for their leader’s untimely demise.

Published in Dawn, April 12th, 2022