Call it the seven-year itch. Like all itches, it was brief, but so long as it lasted, Mian Nawaz Sharif’s latest fling with Pakistan was dramatic, passionate. As we watched over breakfast, Sharif landed, the general grounded him and TV news took to the air in glee. All morning was spent at, or rather outside, Islamabad International Airport, with cameras zooming in, as the crow flies, on the PIA aircraft on the tarmac. It was a piquant situation: Sharif could not get outside, the media and Sharif’s supporters get inside (although reporters did accompany Nawaz Sharif on his journey). Thwarting their reunion were Musharraf’s men who, indifferent to the romance of the moment, jammed mobile phones, too. Still, it made for excellent TV because it was like a suspense film.

TV news is nothing if not inventive: it looked for ways to inveigle itself into the proceedings, by talking to Pakistani journalists, editors, ministers, India’s Pakistan hands, two Indian journalists there and the few onboard the flight who managed to communicate with the outside world. Of course, there was endless speculation. Breaking News: Nawaz Sharif Lands, Breaking News: Nawaz Sharif asked by commandos for his passport, Breaking News: He refuses. Breaking News: Sharif Disembarks. When was the last time a man’s getting off a plane made headline news?

All this, courtesy Pakistan’s private channel, Geo TV, with inputs from Aaj TV, ARY and Dawn News. Also, a well-primed supporting cast that demonstrated outside the airport so that cameramen had something to show for their morning. For once, English and Hindi news channels were in perfect harmony: everyone hooked on to Geo, and scoured websites and the Pak media for exclusive tidbits of information. Talk was unnecessary because there was so little to report. That, however, never deters our TV anchors who believe they are radio cricket commentators; that’s why they end up asking silly questions which tend to obscure the intelligent ones. They ask: “What will happen in half an hour?” (Sharif sitting inside plane) “What should we be making of this?” (Plane sitting on tarmac). “Is the situation returning to normal?” (After people are lathi-charged). Sensible viewers simply pressed the mute button and read Breaking News.

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