“There is an urgent need to table and approve a new law by parliament within 24 hours… I mean no delays and no…”
“Does it have anything to do with Nawaz Sharif’s return without being taken straight to jail – to Kot Lakhpat and not to Raiwind that may be declared a sub-jail?”
“Nah it doesn’t, the road to Raiwind is paved with pebbles, not boulders anymore, but some of those pebbles can bust a tyre – even a Mercedes tyre.”
“Right but Tarar is working on making sure that all pebbles are removed, but the process is slow, as slow as…as…as…”
“Which Tarar – the slow Tarar, careful before he speaks, or the fast speaking Tarar with a nasal twang that acts like an accelerant?”
“Slow fires they say smoulder for a long time.”
“Ha ha, indeed – you know in other countries one has cyclical business cycles, output glut followed by a recession, we have cyclical politicians - fires are lit underneath politicians which are then allowed to smoulder and a day comes when a phoenix is allowed to rise from the ashes…”
“So what do you suggest? Ban all accelerants?”
“Not possible in the Land of the Pure because remember fire is a cleanser. I would suggest identify the pyromaniacs…”
“Don’t be facetious anyway as I said there is an urgent need to pass a law.”
“What law? Surely not a third time amendment to the National Accountability law?”
“Well the first time it was amended was to ensure that the newly installed phoenixes did not land up in jail, that pre-dated the reversal of the previous administration’s decision to provide massive subsidies with no fiscal space…”
“Right and the second time was to reverse some of the clauses that were benefitting those whose cycles were at a low ebb.”
“So which other law?”
“You give up?”
“Yes.”
“Only the Prime Minister be allowed to address the nation – not the Finance Minister or any other federal minister and…wait…let me finish Ishaq Dar needs to be informed that he is entitled only to a press conference which does not mean an address to the nation but meeting the press who will ask questions…”
“A guy who has no clue about basic economic theory…”
“Right if wishes were horses…”
“They were four times in the past – Dar has been finance minister four times but I hear now wishes are no longer horses but…”
“This is Pakistan my friend – so quote the appropriate proverb, if wishes were horses beggars would ride and as you and I both know the number of beggars has risen dramatically due to high inflation, rising unemployment…”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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