Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani faced a shock on Monday when the chair he was sitting on during an important function at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) broke, leaving the participants speculating about his fate as head of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)-led coalition government.
The prime minister was chairing the NUST award distribution ceremony of the PM’s Entrepreneurial Challenge. Most participants of the ceremony said the chair breaking was a “bad omen” for Gilani in the wake of a momentum-gaining opposition movement against the federal government.
The back of the premier’s chair cracked as he moved it to make room for the chair of NUST Rector Lt General (r) Muhammad Asghar, who had just finished his speech. Gilani, however, smartly balanced his weight by leaning forward. This triggered quiet activity at the rear of the stage. The premier’s Aide-de-Camp (ADC) Tasawur Iqbal Chaudhry approached him, had a few words with him and then coordinated with the security personnel to handle the situation amicably.
During the entire episode, the prime minister did not panic and kept his cool, wearing a calm smile and making sure no one guessed what had happened and what was going on backstage. Finally, the ADC got the prime minister’s damaged chair replaced with a smaller one as he and other dignitaries moved to the award distribution ceremony.
The PPP-led government is already facing a tough situation internally and globally with a huge federal cabinet unable to resolve public issues such as electricity load shedding, economic crunch, shortfall in revenues, high inflation and deteriorating law and order coupled with a large-scale humanitarian crisis resulting from unprecedented floods, making governance hell.
At the international front, continued dictation by the United States administration in the war on terrorism and souring relations with the country and lack of interest from the European and Western states to grant Pakistani businessmen market access opportunities is making the PPP government brace for isolation and distrust.
Internally, the major opposition party – the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) – is up in arms against the government’s policies and is making all possible efforts to multiply its woes. In such circumstances, the political observers and the superstitious present in the audience termed the incident a bad omen.
“I tell you, it is a bad omen for Gilani. Though he is not shaky and has strong nerves, I doubt he would continue,” said a journalist in attendance.
Though soon after the incident the prime minister sought to shift media attention by telling journalists to change their focus from politics and speculations about the fate of the government, his body language was improper and he looked shaky, fumbling many times during his speech.
Gilani’s chair breaks during NUST ceremony
