The article has been submitted by Iqbal Latif.
There is one story I have never told publicly before.
My friendship with Shehbaz Sharif did not begin in politics. It began entirely by chance.
One afternoon I received a telephone call from Chestertons on Connaught Street. They told me that someone wished to see me regarding a property. I went there without the slightest idea who the visitor was. Waiting for me was Shehbaz Sharif with his family. That unexpected meeting became the beginning of a friendship that lasted for many years.
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Over time we spent countless hours walking and talking. We discussed business, management, history, politics and life. We did not always agree, but that never mattered. Friendship is not built on agreement. It is built on trust, honesty and the freedom to speak openly. If two people agree on everything, one of them is unnecessary.
One day, while he was living in London in exile, Shehbaz Sahib said to me, “Iqbal, I would like to become friends with Salman Taseer. Can you arrange it?”
I understood immediately why he was asking. Salman Taseer and the Sharif family had a difficult political history. This was not a casual introduction. Shehbaz genuinely wanted to bridge that divide and build a personal friendship.
Salman was already a friend of mine, so I telephoned him. Without hesitation, he agreed. He flew to London, and I arranged dinner at my home for the evening before the England–Pakistan One-Day International at Lord’s.
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Security was still a major concern following the London bombings earlier that year. Nawaz Sharif did not want Shehbaz Sahib travelling on the Underground, so he asked him to use his own car instead.
On the way to my house near Connaught Square, the car was involved in a minor collision with another Pakistani motorist. In the middle of the confusion, Shehbaz Sahib kept telephoning me asking, “Iqbal, where exactly is your house?” Eventually he arrived safely. Salman was delayed because of his flight, but later that evening we all sat together around my dining table.
That dinner was far more important than it appeared at the time. It was not simply a meal. It was an attempt to replace political distance with personal understanding. My home became the place where two men, whose relationship had been shaped by politics, met as individuals.
The following morning we met again at Lord’s to watch the England–Pakistan One-Day International.
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Looking back after all these years, I do not remember the score. I remember the conversation, the goodwill and the willingness to reach across old divisions. That is what has stayed with me.
These are not stories I have heard from someone else. They are my own memories. Shehbaz Sharif is alive today and knows whether these conversations took place. I simply did what a friend asked me to do.
People will judge Shehbaz Sharif and Nawaz Sharif according to their politics. That is their right. I can only judge them by my own experience. In my dealings with them, I found them to be courteous, approachable and willing to build relationships across political divides. Whatever history existed between people, Shehbaz Sahib believed it was better to build a bridge than a wall. I was privileged to witness one such bridge being built across my own dining table.
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The article has been submitted by Iqbal Latif.
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