Finally, he made it to Jeddah. The finest Pakistani stand-up comedian Umer Sharif's visit to Saudi Arabia to perform seems to have been jinxed. Many previous attempts to bring him here somehow or the other failed to materialize. However, this Thursday he was performing live in Jeddah. Sharif started by pleasant jokes. “Although I have visited the two Holy Mosques but never thought of performing in Jeddah,” he said, giving the reason for being so late in performing here. He also announced the plan to build a hospital named ‘Maa' (mother) for free treatment of artists. Shairf not only entertained a jam-packed crowd with his performance, but also touched on serious issues. Pakistani Consul General Zaighamuddin Azam and Welfare Consul Chaudhry Shaukat Ali were also present with their families. Sharif was accompanied by his wife. Sharif kept saying, “I am sorry to be so unconventional with you but if you like ‘may I go on, are you satisfied?'” Still the answer was ‘yes' from the audience as they didn't want Sharif to leave the stage. However, when he started criticizing the Pakistan national airlines, someone from the audience raised objection, saying “We shouldn't criticize anything about our country.” The ‘laugh guru' was very witty to this objection: “We are the one who can criticize on our own mistakes. We should be the one to see our mistakes first than to hear about it from someone else.” For a twist in the show, Sharif called some children from the audience on stage to interview them. __
