From the plane, Sharif took to sitting in the VIP lounge at the airport. This is when things began to go wrong. As long as Sharif stayed inside the plane, news channels had access to him. In the lounge, he was isolated. And so the confusion: Breaking News: Sharif Arrested. Breaking News: Sharif detained. Breaking News: Nawaz not to be deported. Breaking News: Sharif handed over to Punjab Police. Breaking News: Will go to jail. Breaking News: Sharif disembarked, was detained, and then deported.

But that did not mean he didn’t speak. First on Geo, then ARY on the ground. Lesson for Musharraf: if you have studied the gastronomical tract, know that the more you stifle, the more gets out from other channels. Also, news channels had taken the precaution of interviewing Sharif before he left London, so there was always a pithy quote on hand. However, nothing he could say, compared with the responses of Pakistani ministers when asked what they thought was going to happen. Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao led the way: I don’t know what will happen, who can say what will happen, at this stage I can’t say what will happen, but it will be “according to the law”! Such gems are unusual. Preserve them.

Winners and losers: Since all channels were dependent on Geo, the visual coverage was seamless. As for information, Times Now was ahead. Its collaboration with Reuters gives it that — the latter’s correspondent was on Sharif’s flight and got the first quote from the exiled leader: great to be back. Times Now was quicker than the others which means it was always the first with news and the wrong rumour.