"The Pakistani public is being told so many, many contradictory things that it must be very confusing. I mean I, for one, don't purport to speak for the public, unlike the Lotas, be they Musharrafites, Jiayalas, Nawalas or indeed the Maulanas, but one day I am told one thing the next another."
"Right. One day we hear of some Musharraf Lotas seeking reconciliation with the Jiyalas, Nawalas and the Maulanas..."
"And the next day we have AZ rearrested and only the Maulanas allowed to hold a rally."
"Yes and even amongst the Musharraf Lotas we have Mushahid Hussain urging reconciliation one day, and I am sure he first made sure that the power that be agreed with his statement, I mean the guy is unlikely to want to suffer another time for not identifying where the power lies in Islamabad..."
"Yes, he did seem unaware of the shift in October of 1999."
"Or you could say he had some principles then?"
"Not quite visible during the storming of the Supreme Court building, right?"
"Right. Anyway Mushahid is saying one thing one day and then we have someone else, another Musharraf Lota, denying it the next minute."
"We have AZ saying elections will be held next year and we have Musharraf himself saying they will be held in 2007."
"Right and Musharraf's dates were quickly echoed by the Chaudhry."
"That's the safest bet."
"Yep that guy has followed the philosophy of better safe than sorry."
"And it has stood him in good stead. I don't believe he has ever been in jail."
"Indeed."
"Then we have the Maulanas contradicting each other..."
"Deals are ongoing with the government between different Maulana factions."
"But the latest gem is from Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli. She says that 'Asif Ali Zardari is demanding fresh elections in 2005, contrary to
Maulana Fazalur Rehman, who is terming any mid-term elections as unjustified. These two statements based on factional interests are no more hidden from the general public'."
"But is the fact that the government is one of Musharraf Lotas and they are doing whatever is dictated to them, even defending the indefensible, because they are so ordered, not based on factional interest? Besides, did anyone tell her that Maulana Fazlur Rehman is teetering on the brink of supporting the government on the uniform issue?"
"Nah, she doesn't know obviously."
"Anyway for our politicians the bad guy is always on the other side."
"And it is always the speaker and his/her party that is in the national interest and not into factional interests."
"Right."
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