Pakistani Netizens Critical of Nawaz Sharif for Wearing Gucci Hat Worth PKR 1 Lakh While Campaigning

Islamabad, January 28: Several Pakistani netizens are claiming that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif wore a Gucci hat worth over one lakh Pakistani Rupees (PKR) during his recent rally at Nankana Sahib, a district in the Punjab province. The exorbitant price of the hat Nawaz wore was not the only highlight of the rally; some also pointed to the colour of the stripes on the cap, which was similar to the flag of Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

To establish the staggering price of Nawaz Sharif's Gucci hat, the netizens even presented a compilation of receipts and invoices. The Gucci hat worn by Nawaz became a controversy as Pakistan is reeling under an economic crisis with skyrocketing prices of basic amenities like fuel, electricity and food.

According to a World Bank report, Pakistan's strong post-pandemic recovery came to a halt in FY23 with large accumulated economic imbalances that resulted from the delayed withdrawal of accommodative policy and a series of domestic and external economic shocks. Pressures on domestic prices, external and fiscal balances, the exchange rate, and foreign exchange reserves mounted amid surging world commodity prices, global monetary tightening, recent catastrophic flooding, and domestic political uncertainty.

Poverty is estimated to have increased due to deteriorating wages and job quality, along with high inflation that eroded purchasing power, particularly for the poor, the report highlighted. This is not the first time the former Pakistani PM has been surrounded by such controversy. In 2023, Nawaz was reportedly confronted by a Pakistani woman while shopping at the upmarket Harrods department store in London.

Ahead of the 2024 general elections, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, who returned to his home country in October 2023 after four years of exile in London, unveiled the party's election manifesto on Saturday. If voted to power, Nawaz's party promised to provide the public with "cheap and increased electricity" as well as "speedy development." The manifesto's promises also included a 20 to 30 per cent reduction in power bills, according to a Dawn report.