Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif recently compared his political opponents with terrorists; said they are pursuing politics of agitation and accused them of blocking the country’s path to development. He said that terrorists wanted to disrupt, sow chaos, and cause law and order situation, pushing Pakistan back to the dark ages and added that a similar objective was being pursued by those who stage sit-ins, cause agitation and hinder country’s march ahead. It seems that in the heat of the moment Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif got a bit carried away which resulted in what can only be described as a ‘irresponsible statement’. Political leaders are not terrorists nor does terrorists present there demands through sit-ins. The Prime Minister probably remembers that the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) in the past has resorted to street protests on many occasions in the previous government. However, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) never labeled these protests as ‘terrorism’. Moreover it must be taken into account that the recent protests by the opposition parties didn’t come out of the blue. The opposition parties have a very valid reason for these protests and that is the astonishing revelations of the Panama Papers which among 200 other Pakistanis have the name of the ruling family, which is a serious matter. At this crucial juncture the Prime Minister should have presented his defense in the parliament instead of opting to hold public rallies to vent his anger against opposition parties. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is typically very cool and calculated in his statements and the recent ‘aggressive’ statements are a surprise.
The Prime Minister should defend his case in the parliament instead of public rallies.