Daily Times

Sir: A lot of people are saying that Nawaz Sharif and his daughter are probably scared of coming back because it will put them in jail. I think the people that are scared of jail are people that have some integrity and respect. When I was a child, my grandmother used to tell me not to use abusive language — which I had picked up outside the home. She said if you come to a point where you need to abuse someone realise that the person in front of you will not be affected — you cannot make someone disgusting feel disgusting by calling them names. If you call a donkey a donkey, you will not insult it, she said at the time.

I feel that it is the same for the Sharifs. If they come back and are put in jail, it will not hurt them or make them feel bad. If anything, given how absurd our people are, I think it will add to their credibility.

Nawaz has been talking about how he is being targeted over and over again and with this jail, equation I feel like his narrative of how he is being targeted will only get stronger. We have been hearing about how Kulsoom Nawaz is on her deathbed, and I am hoping and praying that she survives. Given what our people are like, if the woman dies it will only help the Sharifs further.

At this point, I have lost all hope for any real change to the come to the country. In addition, if Nawaz Sharif were seriously on trial then people like Musharraf, Kiyani and Zardari would have been quivering in their boots. The reality is that at any time the former premier maybe able to strike a deal in the background. And then all will be well, because all mostly is for people in power.

And we can continue to curse at them and abuse them, but as my grandmother said, you can’t insult a donkey by calling it a donkey.

FIDA JAN

Lahore

Published in Daily Times, July 8^th 2018.