Have you ever been to an election rally? Or seen a political leader in real life?

[MenInG]

I saw ZAB once as he drove by in a procession on Sharae-Faisal in Karachi - have to say it was impressive!

Any other experiences?

 

[Varun]

These election rallies are attended by those who are hankering for a free biryani and have the whole day to spare by virtue of them being jobless.

So as far as this forum is concerned, I would hazard a guess: "No."

Imran Khan's rallies might be an exception.

 

[TM Riddle]

Loads of.
Once helped organise a rally for a big shot bjp leader who is presently a cabinet minister.

 

[Greenstorm]

Saw Nawaz Sharif in Attock with his 30+ cars protocol before 2013 election. Chaudary Nisar was driving his car. Nawaz actually made an eye contact with me and my friend as we were the only one standing in the chowk. We both still regret that we did not gave him thumbs down gesture.

Saw Imran Khan in a jalsa.

 

[Abdullah719]

Saw Nawaz Sharif in Attock with his 30+ cars protocol before 2013 election. Chaudary Nisar was driving his car. Nawaz actually made an eye contact with me and my friend as we were the only one standing in the chowk. We both still regret that we did not gave him thumbs down gesture.

Yeh karna tha

 

[Slog]

PTI once

And funnily enough Mitt Romney once. Came to my college, I liked his ideas and most of my friends were big on GOP so was like 'might as well go for the experience'

 

[Slog]

I saw ZAB once as he drove by in a procession on Sharae-Faisal in Karachi - have to say it was impressive!

Any other experiences?

Wow that must have been some experience MIG.

Can you share. How old you were? What was so impressive about it? Just your experience and opinion of it at the time and now that you look back at it!

 

[KingKhanWC]

Went to see Jeremy Corbyn when he came to Birmingham last summer. There were live bands playing music, it was a real festival atmosphere.

 

[Nostalgic]

Studying in an embassy-run Pakistani school in Qatar meant I saw a number of politicians on their periodic jaunts overseas. Nawaz Sharif in his first term cut the red ribbon inaugurating a new wing to the school, and we had to line up for well over an hour in the heat just so his vehicle could drive between two parallel rows of school kids. I caught a glimpse of him later, feigning interest as the principal showed him around the new wing.

Wasim Sajjad was visiting in his capacity as Chairman of the Senate, and delivered a speech at the school. Most of it was standard political fare: brotherly relations between Pakistan and Qatar, the plight of the Kashmiris, the end of the Cold War and new geopolitical realities etc, but he did say something I’ve taken to heart: that when you’re overseas, you’re as much an ambassador as the ambassador. Everything you do, the good but especially the bad, will be made to reflect on your nationality. Kudos to his speechwriter for making him say it. Later that summer, on a trip to the US, I saw him leading the Independence Day parade through Manhattan. Wasim Sajjad, not the speechwriter.

The most surreal experience was sitting through a speech by Maulana Fazlur Rehman. He was on a private visit, but somehow managed to pull strings to deliver a speech at the school, for reasons only he knows. I remember bits and pieces of it: he related a story about how, as part of a delegation of MNAs, he was visiting another country, and the hosts played the Qaumi Tarana, and despite being a maulvi (his words), he was moved to tears at the soul-stirring beauty of the anthem.

After returning to Pakistan, I saw Chaudhry Nisar and Ghulam Sarwar Khan frequently, usually during their campaigns for their periodic tussles for NA-40.

I saw Imran Khan in Islamabad a few times at Friday prayers. He would walk in, and the entire congregation would turn towards the door to watch him take his place in one of the middle rows. His expression suggested that while a part of him welcomed the attention, he felt awkward and self-conscious as well.

 

[Slog]

Studying in an embassy-run Pakistani school in Qatar meant I saw a number of politicians on their periodic jaunts overseas. Nawaz Sharif in his first term cut the red ribbon inaugurating a new wing to the school, and we had to line up for well over an hour in the heat just so his vehicle could drive between two parallel rows of school kids. I caught a glimpse of him later, feigning interest as the principal showed him around the new wing.

Wasim Sajjad was visiting in his capacity as Chairman of the Senate, and delivered a speech at the school. Most of it was standard political fare: brotherly relations between Pakistan and Qatar, the plight of the Kashmiris, the end of the Cold War and new geopolitical realities etc, but he did say something I’ve taken to heart: that when you’re overseas, you’re as much an ambassador as the ambassador. Everything you do, the good but especially the bad, will be made to reflect on your nationality. Kudos to his speechwriter for making him say it. Later that summer, on a trip to the US, I saw him leading the Independence Day parade through Manhattan. Wasim Sajjad, not the speechwriter.

The most surreal experience was sitting through a speech by Maulana Fazlur Rehman. He was on a private visit, but somehow managed to pull strings to deliver a speech at the school, for reasons only he knows. I remember bits and pieces of it: he related a story about how, as part of a delegation of MNAs, he was visiting another country, and the hosts played the Qaumi Tarana, and despite being a maulvi (his words), he was moved to tears at the soul-stirring beauty of the anthem.

After returning to Pakistan, I saw Chaudhry Nisar and Ghulam Sarwar Khan frequently, usually during their campaigns for their periodic tussles for NA-40.

I saw Imran Khan in Islamabad a few times at Friday prayers. He would walk in, and the entire congregation would turn towards the door to watch him take his place in one of the middle rows. His expression suggested that while a part of him welcomed the attention, he felt awkward and self-conscious as well.

Lol I don't think any of these qualify as an election 'rally'

 

[Nostalgic]

Lol I don't think any of these qualify as an election 'rally'

The title also says “or seen a political leader in real life.”

 

[Slog]

The title also says “or seen a political leader in real life.”

Haha my bad. Didn't see the second part

Now having known this. Too many to list.

Musharraf came to my school quite a few times

Have seen virtually the entire MQM top brass asides from Altaf and met quite a few of them (Sattar, Akhtar, Kamal, Rizvi, Sabzwari)

Met Imran Khan at a wedding asides from the aforementioned jalsa. Seen Arif Alvi and Imran Ismail.

Seen Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Siraj Ul Haq

 

[Nostalgic]

I just remembered, I’ve also seen Sheikh Rasheed a few times. Once during the campaign for the 2002 elections, I saw a crowd gathered around a storefront in Rawalpindi Saddar, and stopped to see what was up. It turned out to be one of Sheikh Rasheed’s campaign offices, and inside was the man smoking a cigar watching Shahid Afridi trying to break the fastest ODI fifty record on a TV set they had set up to attract voters. If I remember correctly, it was an ICC tournament, probably a Champions Trophy.

The crowd dispersed as soon as Afridi failed to reach fifty within the required number of balls. I lingered for a bit, and Sheikh Rasheed was rather heatedly discussing Muralitharan’s bowling with one of his workers. I distinctly remember a bit of the exchange. “But Sheikh Sahab, the guy can turn the ball if the pitch was made of glass,” said the worker. Sheikh Rasheed just made a face, and said “he’s nothing.”

 

[moghul]

I think it was 1998, I met NS in a small private gathering in a Washington DC . He was PM then. For a brief period he was sitting next to me and I had a short conversation with him while having dinner. Wasn't an impressive person for a PM.

Similarly attended another privately organized function at someone's house in NJ with Pervez Musahraf. He spoke there and we have some question answer session. I found him very annoying the way he spoke,

 

[DRsohail]

Have never been to rally but met the Great Khan in peshwar during opening of election office in 2013