A specimen of Shabaz Sharif's good governance: "The Humaira Arshad Case"

The power of song

Friday, October 09, 2009 Songstress Humaira Arshad has produced a few discordant notes. The good lady had gone along with her husband - as is the right of every citizen - to register a complaint at the chief minister's complaint cell on Club Road in Lahore. It is alleged that the pair had set up a café in the city but they later discovered that the person who sold them the property was a fraudster and did not have legal title to the property. A common-enough complaint and not something that would attract much by way of media attention or indeed much by way of action by the officials concerned. But it is not every day that you have glamorous singers appearing at the office to register a complaint, so the extremely-concerned-especially-to-be-noticed officials rushed to the assistance of the wronged chanteuse and her husband. The singer proceeded to register her complaint with Complaints Director Irfan Yousaf and was giving him the details when Shahid Qadir, another complaints director (There are two? There are so many complaints?), entered the office of his colleague and demanded that she make her complaint to him rather than Irfan Yousaf, who probably had not had a shower that morning or pressed his shirt properly. The two then proceeded to exchange what have been described as 'harsh words' and the matter quickly came to the attention of no lesser personage than Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. True to form, he acted swiftly and both men were the subject of quick enquiry, found guilty and suspended, their offices sealed. The singer never got her complaint registered and left in some confusion. Perhaps to prevent future disturbances the complaints cell should create two customer windows, one marked 'Famous people' and the other 'People we are not interested in.' Problem solved. (The News) Geo TV Report