PARTLY FACETIOUS: Democracy the best revenge?

“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me.”

“The best revenge as Benazir Bhutto was quoted as saying is democracy and need I add Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s victory in the local bodies elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the best revenge he could have hoped for against The Khan who constantly ridiculed him and his well-known love for diesel and…”

“Right that must be the sweetest cut of them all for the Maulana and this in spite of the fact that there is no aen in the Maulana’s long name - the 24th letter of the Urdu alphabet which the country knows has magical properties…”

“Aen is unique to the Arabic alphabet I think and I would like to quote an Arabic proverb: talk with beauty or beautify yourself with silence. Translate it to mean don’t over expose yourself on television by addressing more than two public gatherings every day, don’t think that your brand of Islam is more acceptable to the far right religious group members, don’t think your interpretation will be acceptable to 98 percent of your country people who are Muslim…”

“And need I add your main support group, the youth, wants some jobs and some form of entertainment, not only lectures…and it is only with age that religion assumes greater relevance…”

“It’s the cycle of life - The Khan has only to look at his own history to be aware that his transition from playboy to a religious person began well after he reached half a century…”

“You reckon The Khan will learn any lesson from his defeat at the hands of a party led by a man that he had nothing but contempt for?”

“Doubt it because the first thing he ought to have done is fire The Buzz because he is to Punjab what Mehmood Khan is to KPK.”

“That aint likely my friend. The Buzz’s name starts with aen…”

“Don’t be facetious.”

“What about urging him to follow the proverb action speaks louder than words – I mean instead of saying he will not let a thief go shouldn’t The Khan first make sure that he catches the thieves and the corrupt and the lovers of diesel? I mean when he came to power there was only one man and his daughter in jail after the two were convicted and he himself let the man go…”

“That was out of the goodness of his heart.”

“And since then he has been bad mouthing the very man alone he let go? I mean come on.”

“U-turns are a mark of a great leader, albeit a leader who may find re-election a challenge.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021