Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had a detailed discussion with his legal and political advisors before driving away for the JIT at the Federal Judicial Academy on Thursday morning. He sent a visual message to his detractors by standing with his nears and dears, Pervaiz Rasheed included. It was a defiant signal from the get go. Thanks to the extra ordinary security measures and efficient traffic plan, it didn’t take him long to get to the venue. Flanked by his younger brother Shehbaz Sharif and son Hussain Nawaz, he reached the venue almost on the dot at 11 am. The reporters witnessed a fresh, relaxed and confident Nawaz as he waved at them before entering the complex. As the TV channels held special transmissions to give a wall-to-wall coverage, the premier went into the question-answer session while his brother and son sat in the waiting room. The three-hour-plus proceeding went smooth, sources say. The questions were conveyed to the prime minister in advance by the JIT and the prime minister had ample time to go over them with his advisers, insist the JIT sources. The prime minister’s responses were fully rehearsed and thoroughly vetted by his legal counsels, say the sources. The entire discourse was not acrimonious and he did not have to wait for the JIT to start the proceedings as reported in previous cases, sources said. When the prime minister came out of the conclave, his demeanor smacked white smoke. Instead of getting right into the private vehicles specially chosen to give it a personal hearing devoid of pomp and protocol touch, he came out with his family members straight to the podium. With his son Hussain Nawaz on his one side and nephew Hamza Shehbaz on the other, he sent a clear message that come what may, his family was firmly united behind him. In the morning a bulletproof podium was placed for the premier but it was replaced with a regular podium just before he spoke. The message was clear: I am not afraid. Now his speech. It was a defiant speech from start to finish. He declared the Panama case as a political vendetta against his family going back to the period he was not even born and extending it to his children, the proverbial three generations, N League is talking about these days. He did not miss the puppeteers of the past and made oblique references, saying it was a conspiracy of multiple forces that couldn’t defeat him in the polls. He even threatened that destabilisation of the democratic project could endanger the integrity and security of the country given the conditions in and around Pakistan. Nawaz did not miss the opportunity to tell all the quarters concerned that he gives more importance to the court and the JIT of the masses than the ones he was dealing with. Through his defiant speech, he tried to reach his base, preparing them for the political fight ahead. It was clear that he stuck to his guns that he had nothing to answer for. To him, since he parted business affairs as he got into politics, all the business matters were run either by his late father or by his sons who were non-resident Pakistanis. As Nawaz Sharif came to the podium, he was handed over the written text of the speech. He stuck to the text and didn’t deviate, taking no questions. The signals were clear: his counsels had warned him not to go on a rambling spree that can later be used to amplify the contradictions within his statements. The three-hour-plus discourse suggests that there would be no more calls for him to appear. It also sent a loud and clear message to all and sundry: you want a fight? Bring it on. The PM is now poised to leave for the holy land to spend 10 days, a practice he has maintained for many years.