Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday suggested PML-N to invite pop star Atif Aslam to lead its rally instead of party Vice President Maryam Nawaz if it really wants to pull a crowd for its October 16 gathering in Gujranwala.
Chaudhry made the suggestion during a TV talk show aired by a private news channel. When the other panelist, PML-N’s Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha, said that Maryam Nawaz instead of Shahbaz Sharif is chosen to lead the October 16 rally as she is a “crowd puller”.
The host of the show had been discussing the rise of political players who had landed into leadership positions “without following the process”.
The host had pointed out to Ranjha that his party leader Maryam Nawaz and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto had entered the politics “by virtue of inheritance”.
When they asked Ranjha why it was that Shehbaz Sharif, was not being asked to lead protests, he told the host that “Maryam is a crowd puller”.
“If we look at our political party and we go to [our] political rallies, it’s a fact. If she is a crowd puller, then we want a person to lead our party, [whose] rallies only those people attend who want to leave their homes [for her] and do not have to be invited. She is a crowd puller,” Ranjha said.
As soon as PML-N leader made the comment, however, Chaudhry couldn’t resist making a wisecrack. “Why don’t you invite Atif Aslam?”. Ranjha took the comment in stride, saying that “Atif Aslam and others” are not of the “caliber” to bring out people in places like Sargodha and other smaller cities.
Was it a serious comment or an offensive one? What do you guys think?