Partly Facetious: Establishment still on the defensive

"The beneficiaries of the MQM pullout would be PML (Q) or so I heard."
"Right, and one section of the press revealed that Altaf Bhai has said that he has opened the doors for negotiating with PML (N) and that if Nawaz Sharif wants general elections to be held before the Senate elections due in March 2012, which we all know he does, then he needs to walk through that door and not be egotistical or arrogant or any thing like that."
"You think there is a possibility of that happening?"
"Nawaz Sharif can't do it alone, yes he is the second largest party in the National Assembly and yes his personal popularity is well above President Zardari's..."
"That's not saying too much. President Zardari's popularity ratings have always been low..."
"Very low."
"OK, very low but his strength is not his popular appeal but his manipulation of the country's politics."
"Politics or politicians?"
"Same thing - the one is not possible without the other."
"I disagree, politics can be principled and..."
"Hey, first of all in which country do you live? Have you heard the latest? Have you heard that three additional witnesses have denied recording statements against Moonis Elahi?"
"I see, where you are going with this but the MQM and the PML (N)..."
"Nawaz Sharif has to understand that he can't go it alone."
"If he accepts that and seeks some form of rapprochement with the MQM then analysts may say that he has learnt this lesson from President Zardari and he would hate people to say that!"
"There were no coalitions before President Zardari entered politics as the party chairman?"
"Yes, but..."
"There is no but - they all compromise for the sake of achieving their political objectives."
"That's true but President Zardari..."
"Has stayed this long because of external events as well and I am referring to the fact that the establishment is still on the defensive."
"That is true."