DNA
During an event in honour of the national hockey team in Islamabad for playing the 2024 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup final, standup comedian Syed Shafaat Ali mimicked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Addressing the event the premier said, “I would like to congratulate the Pakistan hockey team for making the nation proud at the international level.
“Pakistan hockey was on a decline but now we can see that the good days of Pakistan are returning due to your hard work.”
After concluding his speech, PM Shehbaz tongue-in-cheek said he once had been inflicted ‘injury’ by Shafaat so when he saw him in the event he thought he was in trouble.
The stand-up comedian is famous for mimicking politicians and his videos performing mimicry have gone viral on social media.
The PM invited the celebrated comic on stage to crack some joke or perform a mimicry set. Following which, Shafaat took the stage, but said it was difficult for him to mimic the premier live as he stood before him. The prime minister, however, said there was no problem and that the comedian could repeat the joke he had earlier made on him.
Shafaat mesmerised the audience by his talent, as he not only matched Shehbaz’s voice but also imitated the same gestures as the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader does.
In the PM’s voice, the comedian told Chairman Prime Minister Youth Program Rana Mashhood that if the hockey players were not appointed in various public departments in a week then he would hold a meeting with Rana on another topic, as he would never speak to him again on sports at least. Upon which, the hall burst out laughing.
During his speech, PM Shehbaz directed the authorities to induct the hockey players in government institutes.
He also spoke about holding a discussion with the officials of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) regarding revival of the sport in the country.
Cheques, worth Rs1 million each, were also distributed among the members of the hockey team to recognise their achievements.
The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup proved to be a breath of fresh air for hockey fans after Pakistan qualified for the final of the event for the first time in 13 years.
