PARTLY FACETIOUS: The front runner is Nawaz Sharif

“So what do you reckon?”

“I reckon status quo — The Khan hates the coalition government parties…”

“Hate is not a strong enough word. I say abhor cause that word has an element of being repulsed…”

“Fair enough and The Others abhor The Khan equally.”

“Yep just as passionately but speaking of The Khan, is the range of abhorrence in descending order — I mean at the top is Shehbaz Sharif and Zardari sahib…”

“Shehbaz Sharif is a lateral entrant — the front runner is Nawaz Sharif.”

“Speaking of Nawaz Sharif could someone please inform him that whenever HCH speaks publicly…”

“HCH?

“Doesn’t stand for Her Cosmic Highness but His Chosen Heir (HCH) anyway whenever she speaks she undermines the eleven parties’ coalition government, her own party as she is patently unaware of the actual situation and thereby at least 100 swing voters revisit their support for the PML-N and…”

“100 the party can afford…”

“I said whenever she speaks and that’s kind of piling up. But I would have you know that HCH has backed off by at least by a mile from where she was before Shehbaz Sharif was allowed to become the prime minister to today.”

“Ha ha, speaking of backing off I would like to point to the performance of the Finance Minister. The roll-over of existing assistance from friendly countries was ensured by Shahbaz Sharif; the optics between Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Anthony Blinken of the US showed that Pakistan may have more leverage while negotiating the seventh review with the IMF and Bhutto Zardari also went to China, another country where the rollover of assistance was required and yet Miftah Ismail hasn’t been able to reach an agreement with the Fund.”

“Well, the Fund wants the government to reverse the unfunded subsidies and…”

“Hey we all know that but my question is why was this guy allowed to go to the negotiating table without getting some negotiating room on the matter from the Prime Minister?”

“Shehbaz Sharif needs to revisit his Cabinet decisions, no, not those of the coalition members but of the PML-N…”

“Ah we have come full circle haven’t we! Quid pro quo with HCH meant that some appointments were made by her backed by parental support.”

“Dear God! But you know Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is learning the ropes very well but would someone better suited to the task than Parveen Rashid……”

“The name is Parvez…anyway there is no comparison — Bilawal is much more educated, he has won the succession war and he is much younger and as you know when we are young we learn faster and…”

“Don’t be facetious.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022