Sharif's hotline experiment clogged

For the past 10 days the telephone hotline to Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been ringing off the hook.

Callers have been demanding Sharif's government root out corruption, pay off the debt and generally get on with the business of governing.

Others wanted jobs for their children, an end to police harassment or just a chance to talk to the prime minister.

From behind an ornately carved oak desk and surrounded by seven staffers taking notes, Sharif devoted 30 minutes every morning to taking telephone calls from anyone with access to a phone.

In poor Pakistan, that's barely a quarter of the country's 140 million people, but from around the country many of those who did have a telephone tried to call.

On Wednesday - the final day of the 10-day experiment - Sharif heard from a grade seven student, who wanted the prime minister to waive the interest on a loan her parents took out to buy a home.

He heard a terrified woman say she was receiving threats from Sunni Muslim militants. A Shiite Muslim, she wept on the telephone.

"Please protect me," she cried.

Another caller said 150 million rupees had been embezzled from the state-run Pakistan International Airline.

Others just called to congratulate him on his election success. But the phone rang without interruption and Sharif listened to everyone who called.

He asked their names, their numbers and sometimes he issued orders to his staff - all of whom had a notepad in hand.

Other times he laughed, like when someone called and said his hobby was driving and could the prime minister give him a car.

There are also those who bear witness to the value of making that telephone call. Imran Naqvi says he is a believer. Naqvi called the prime minister's hotline the day after his brother was arrested apparently for standing outside his home late at night.

Sharif wanted to know where Naqvi's brother was being held and then he told Naqvi to go to the police station. When Naqvi arrived he was greeted by two members of the prime minister's staff. His brother was released.

Sharif said the experiment has been a good one.

"Very useful suggestions are coming," he said. I think this is a very good way to reach people.''

Many callers were surprised that Sharif's voice was the first voice they heard. More than once, a caller asked suspiciously "Who is this?"

UNI