ANJUM IBRAHIM

They’ve played their cards right

“I have a suggestion.”

“Okaaay but if it’s to a political party leader it’s a waste of time – The Khan reckons he knows best, Nawaz Sharif reckons he knows best and Zardari sahib knows he knows best.”

“Zardari sahib knows that he knows best?”

“Yes for he is the only head of a party who completed the tenure of the high office he held.”

“Hmmm, a wily man.”

“Indeed though the remark about a politician being a life-long profession while all other positions come with a retirement date led him to self-imposed exile for a few years but then that was when his tenure was over and his party was in opposition.”

“Ziaul Haq’s retirement never came but I guess he was before Zardari sahib’s time. Anyway my suggestion to The Khan is to de-seat Pervez Elahi and install himself as the chief minister.”

“Good heavens talk of being naïve. Three facts militate against the feasibility of your suggestion. First The Khan is not a member of the provincial assembly, OK technically he can get a PTI parliamentarian to sit down and get himself elected but that process will take at least four to five months; secondly it is the PTI government because of Pervez Elahi’s band of merry men and if Elahi goes so does the government, finally and most importantly I have told you once and I have told you again The Khan is not interested in the 205,344 square kilometers, which is Punjab’s area, but the 27 sq. miles that constitute Islamabad capital territory.”

“Hmmmm, so reverting to the Trinity Doctrine - The Father, The Son and the Holy Ghost, you reckon Pervez Elahi and Son have played their cards right?”

“Their rightness may be for no more than ten months – after that I would reckon The Khan will drop them and start investigating their practices shall we say, Nawaz Sharif would follow suit…”

“Unless of course there is a hung parliament which The Khan reckons is unlikely given his wave of popularity, Nawaz Sharif reckons he has only to land in the country to sweep the polls…”

“There is a but for us swing voters. I demand that The Khan makes appropriate statements against those members of his family and their friends who were engaged in corruption, I want Nawaz Sharif to explain the source of his and his children’s wealth.”

“By the way talking of the Trinity doctrine who is the Holy Ghost?”

“Chaudhry Shujaat.”

“I see and as he and Zardari sahib are negotiating a deal with Elahi…”

“As is said either way the maximum time of remaining relevant for Father and Son is till the dissolution of the Punjab assembly…”

“But with the Holy Ghost remaining relevant…”

“Ha, ha, like the circular energy debt has reached 2.5 trillion rupees the country’s economy has also learnt to deal with the cost of circular, read the reappearance, in key appointments….”