Happy Sewa
Daily Dunya (18 September 2017) reported that BJP leaders and Narendra Modi marked the latter’s birthday as Sewa Divas (Day of Service) and took to the streets with brooms (jhaaroo) in this context.
League Loyalists
According to Daily Dunya (18 September 2017), a PML-N voter in constituency NA-120 halted the baarat procession for his wedding in order to cast his vote. Meanwhile a 65-year-old diehard supporter of the same party wore a crown and rode about the constituency on a white horse, raising the spirits of the party workers.
Lunatic reconnaissance
Daily Dunya (19 September 2017) quoted a confidential report which stated that banned organisations are sending their operatives in the guise of lunatics (paagal) to keep watch on various locations in cities. They were allegedly carrying maps of sensitive locations inside bags filled with clothes and were also using talismans (taaveez) to communicate with one another and send letters so as to avoid surveillance by the authorities.
“All good, now?”
According to Daily Dunya (19 September 2017), Reham Khan, former wife of PTI chief Imran Khan, had tweeted that the Punjabi phrase “Hun aaraam aey?” applied to the stakeholders of the NA-120 by-elections. The report stated that the tweet generated a mixed response, both in favour and against.
Beyond halwa
Dr. Farooq Sattar, leader of the MQM-Pakistan was quoted by Daily Express (19 September 2017) as saying that nobody should take the party lightly (koi halwa ya halka na samjhay).
Imran Khan on NA-120
Daily Jang (19 September 2017) quoted Imran Khan as saying that the PML-N’s loss of votes by 30 percent represented a victory (fatah) for the Supreme Court.
From Shehzade to Shahenshah
The PPP’s Asif Ali Zardari was quoted by Daily Jang (19 September 2017) as saying that in London he had asked Nawaz Sharif not to become Prince Salim, but that the latter had become Shahenshah instead. He went on to say that if the PML-N had wanted to uphold democracy, PPP ministers would not have been in jails.
Love prevails?
Daily Dunya (20 September 2017) reported that after a Lahore court upheld the ‘love marriage’ between a couple, the premises of the court turned into a battlefield, as the families clashed with each other. When High Court security staff tried to intervene, they too were caught up in the exchange of kicks and punches.
Khurshid Shah lays down limits
According to Daily Express (21 September 2017), the Leader of the Opposition, Khurshid Shah, expressed his view that nobody ought to cross the bounds of respect (ehteram ki hadd) – and that if the PPP opened its tongue about Imran Khan, the latter would not be able to deal with it.
Disco Deewanay?
Asif Ali Zardari was quoted by Daily Dunya (23 September 2017) as saying that if Pervez Musharraf were telling the truth, he would come back to Pakistan to face the charges against him. He went on to state that the former military ruler had used back pains as an excuse to sit abroad and hurl baseless accusations (be-bunyaad ilzaamat). He also raised the question as to how Musharraf was able to disco if he suffered from such back pain
Satya Naas Brigade
According to Daily Jang (24 September 2017), Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal expressed his view that Imran Khan is the leader of the Satya Naas Brigade, and that he was putting out even those lamps that were lit.