Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar didn’t comment on the extraordinary protocol given to Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) head Nawaz Sharif on his return to Pakistan. 

He was addressing a news conference three days after returning from China, where he attended the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) conference on the 10th anniversary of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The Pakistani high commissioner in the UK was at the airport to see Nawaz Sharif off, however, Mr Kakar didn’t comment on that either.

When asked why the National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA) had to take a biometrics machine to the Islamabad airport to scan Mr Sharif’s fingerprints, the PM said being a citizen of the country, Mr Sharif has a right to undergo biometrics at the airport.

He then added: “If someone thinks that an atmosphere of level playing field should be created for a particular party, which many want, this I can’t do. If Mian Nawaz Sharif is a Pakistani citizen, which I think he is, then he has a right to have biometric scans.” 

“So what extra steps the government has taken in this regard. If NADRA facilitated him, has he gained any political advantage through this process? A normal database procedure was portrayed in a way that level playing field is not available. Do you remember what level playing field was given in 2018?” he asked. 

PM Kakar also said that he did not believe in giving government ads to print media.

At one point, Mr Kakar lamented that ghee manufacturers and real estate dealers had opened media houses and thus they did not follow the norms of journalism.