ANJUM IBRAHIM

How do you define the end of the road?

“I welcome visionaries because at least they can see the end of the road.”

“Where at least 230 million out of the 231.4 million Pakistanis, myself included, are placed today I don’t see any end of the road.”

“How do you define the end of the road?”

“Where the red line is not only visible as it has been for quite some time now, but we are now standing next to it.”

“Indeed but isn’t the red line slightly different for each of us. I mean for one who is spiritually guided, the red line would be crossed if his or her guide’s visions are not meticulously adhered to.”

“Does the reverse hold true? I mean would a spiritual guide get lost in a forest and thereby abandon the one guided…”

“Hmmm, that’s a grey area – the spiritual guide can exert influence through the spirit and if the spirit has somehow lost its way in a forest then the guide can only use all the tools at his or her disposal to guide the erstwhile fully guided back into the fold but cannot physically drag the spirit if you know what I mean.”

“Hmmm, anyway when I referred to the end of the road I was really referring to the inane exercise carried out by a high level meeting on Tuesday, where air conditioners were going full blast at the taxpayers’ expense and where the 1.15 trillion-rupee development budget for next year was agreed.”

“How can it be inane? I mean the amount is a significant rise from the current year’s budget…”

“Inane for three reasons, first this very administration had pledged a budget of 700 billion rupees as federal development budget for this year and has so far released not even 300 billion rupees, shows lack of funds, second the development budget for the current year was okayed by the International Monetary Fund, which is unlikely for the budget prepared by a person who sadly was never an economist but for lack of practice has forgotten basic accounting principles…”

“I disagree strongly, the guy will borrow from the commercial banks at more than 21 percent – jack up domestic debt servicing, money that can disappear into the icloud…”

“Icloud has storage capacity that you wouldn’t believe. And need I add he is very old school so has no icloud storage capacity.”

“That explains why he continues with the same flawed policies. Anyway finally the exercise was inane because I reckon his come-back is unlikely, given that the Fund and domestic economists have given his policies a thumbs down and so has the general public which means an election win is very dicey.”

“Nawaz Sharif and Notification Maryam Nawaz (NMN) are happy with him.”

“Right but delusions about winning the next elections are not going to install daddy and NMN in an official residence in Islamabad. I am afraid NMN would have to stay with her Samdhi as the tenure of the next national assembly.”

“If getting the economy out of the long standing logjam is the priority then I would urge all stakeholders to stop this revolving finance minister syndrome.”

“First things first, just pray that another of the revolving finance ministers is not installed during the caretaker set-up.”

“Dear God.”

“Allah will protect the economy, so sayeth The Samdhi.”