ISLAMABAD – Here in Pakistan, life is always interesting.
The nation’s Supreme Court ruled on July 28 that longtime Pakistani politician and millionaire Nawaz Sharif, 67, is ineligible to continue to serve as Prime Minister because of corruption issues involving his family, as exposed in the Panama Papers.
Today, on NPR, it was reported that he is engaged in a protest march from Islamabad, the nation’s capital, to his home city, Lahore, amid mounting concerns for his safety.
Associate solitary reporter Mohammed Azeri engaged Sharif in conversation. Azeri asked him why he is marching in protest against the Supreme Court ruling, and he also asked him for his comments on today’s blast from Donald Trump about North Korea’s over-the-top provocations.
Specifically, Trump said that if North Korea doesn’t stop, there will be hell to pay, "fire and fury."
“Mr. Trump is right," Sharif said. "I share his sentiments completely, only I am on fire and I am furious about those damn activist judges on our Supreme Court.”
“Before Mr. Trump declares war on North Korea, I’d like to ask him to restore me to power.”
When Azeri relayed Sharif’s comment to associate solitary reporter Johanna Jones, Jones said, “You gotta be kidding. Trump’s got his hands full with North Korea, Venezuela, and Mueller. He’ll only send the CIA to Pakistan if Pakistan, whoever is running it now, promises to join his fight against ISIS."
So Azeri rejoined Sharif and conveyed Jones’ thoughts.
Sharif promptly said, “Johanna, you go tell General Kelly that I’m in."