What happened: On Apr 1, invited as a guest on GEO anchor, Shahzad Iqbal’s show, PML-N chairman and the party’s key candidate for the position of Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif referred to the Pakistani nation as ‘beggars’ and the nation is appalled by the statement. Click here to see Pakistanis furious over Sharif’s statement. Details: Referring to PML-N leader, Khawaja Asif’s stance on Prime Minister Imran Khan’s accidental statement where he blamed America for being the country behind his threatening letter, Iqbal noted that Asif addressed his fear publicly that what if America takes a stand against us, “Hum you America ke bagher reh hi nahi sakte, woh ventilator hai humara, hum ghutno pe ajayenge” the anchor quoted Asif’s statement and asked Sharif that how will we able to level up if this is how we react to which the PML-N chairman said, “Beggars can’t be choosers,” which was then followed by Iqbal’s shocking expression. “Humen apni qoum ka pait paalna hai, unko parhana likhana hai, we have to survive and equip the nation with knowledge,” adds Sharif that he doesn’t want to start a war with anyone.
Twitter reacts: Strategic analyst on South Asia, Dr. Claude Rakisits tweeted: “To call one’s own citizens “Beggars” is beyond belief and utterly unacceptable. It really says so much of what #ShahbazSharif things of #Pakistan!” Pakistan correspondent for Gulf News, Sana Jamal also reacted to the statement, “While PM Imran Khan talks about self-respect, dignity and equality, the opposition guy begins with: beggars canʼt be choosers. What a stark difference.” The PTI government’s official account also wrote on Twitter, “On one side you have Imran Khan who talks about independent foreign policy which builds a strong nation, on the other side a man who call his nation “beggars”. It’s a defining moment!”