PM Nawaz and his mysterious “non meeting” with the Chinese President Xi Jinping at the recently concluded SCO Summit!
-by Syed Haider Raza Mehdi
At the recently concluded SCO summit, we have photos and press releases and/or news items of our Great, Corrupt, Dishonourable, Money Laundering Leader, meeting:
1. Modi. A handshake photo opp.
2. Ghani. A meeting.
3. Putin. A meeting.
4. A few others.
But no meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Astana.
No. Not even a handshake photo opp!
And tragedies upon tragedies, not even during the group photo, as leaders mingle before and after the photo shoot.
And there he was, our forlorn PM humiliatingly shoved far back onto the second row, a safe distance away from President Xi, with PM Modi right behind President Xi, who by the way, very publicly and warmly, met PM Modi of India.
In diplomatic parlance, this is a major, deliberate and public snub to PM Nawaz.
This despite the “higher than the mountains and deeper than the oceans friendship falsetto*” (prodded and prompted by the younger Grimm, the elder, as usual, totally Goldfish-like, having forgotten his lines, in a meeting with the Chinese President a couple of years ago).
So those who say President Xi and PM Nawaz met twice, at some hotel, must help us understand the source of their information, explain why there’s no photo of these meetings and why there’s no press release?
Or if there is, then why hasn’t it been made public?
And much more serious. No mention in the Chinese media. At all!
So either they met in the bathroom, or behind a bush, or in a state where photos would have been an embarrassment, or all cameras mysteriously malfunctioned.
Or, and most likely, they never met!
If true, very unfortunate and extremely sad and humiliating for Pakistan.
In my opinion, President Xi Jinping deliberately avoided being seen with a tainted and corrupt man. So the snub and insult was directed at the person of PM Nawaz Sharif and hopefully, not Pakistan
As many know, President Xi has lead a relentless campaign in China against corruption and money launderers since he took over as President. And is extremely averse to corruption in political leaders and public office holders.
He’s clamped down harshly with sentences ranging from long imprisonment to execution of those found guilty of corruption.
So PM Nawaz probably hit rock bottom with him, despite meeting him recently in China at the OBOR summit in May a few weeks ago. Which, he couldn’t have helped, being the host.
Contrary to speculation that President Xi didn’t meet him because of Chinese anger at the alleged tragic kidnapping and murder of the Chinese couple by Daesh, I think this was all the more a reason to meet Nawaz.
If anything, it was a perfect opportunity for Xi to seek more info and for Nawaz to provide an update.
But President Xi didn’t meet our all-conquering and great money launderer most likely because of news he must have had about the seriousness of the corruption charges against PM Nawaz and his likely disqualification and dismissal.
I wouldn’t be surprised if a “bird or two or three” whispered some inside information which may have reached the Chinese leadership!
So another humiliating backhander on the face of PM Nawaz Sharif, following the first backhander at the Muslim Ummah Big Bash, by “The Great Trumpeter” bringing further humiliation and embarrassment to Pakistan.
And mercies upon mercies, now he wants to play the role of a mediator between Qatar and Saudi Arabia!
But how does he get rid of the terrible stench of corruption that envelopes him everywhere he goes?
How does he face people who’d much rather not be seen standing next to him?
Can the shameless ever be shamed?