“If Nawaz Sharif is the twelfth man in the field of cricket, then where does that leave Zardari sahib?”
“Night watchman?”
“But he is still taking all major decisions…”
“Yes, but the decision that his political heirs are his children has been made.”
“That’s not a decision.”
“What is it?”
“A compulsion.”
“OK, so the twelfth man had the compulsion to appoint Notification Maryam Nawaz (NMN) as the Chief Minister while Zardari sahib has the compulsion to appoint Bilawal as the prime minister. What does that tell us about the two dads?”
“That, my friend, is the difference between the twelfth man and the night watchman.”
“And what would that make the Man Who Must Remain Nameless and Faceless? The opening batsman?”
“Noooooo.”
“Why the uncertainty?”
“Well he was a bowler not a batsman if you recall?”
“Hmm, so who is the opening batsman?”
“I’d rather not say but The Rana’s suggestion that the three men - Nawaz Sharif, Zardari sahib and The Man Who Must Remain Nameless and Faceless - must get together to resolve all issues, given that the team of negotiators appointed by them would have to get their OK for finalization of the deal in any case….”
“I heard The Brown Pope did not agree.”
“Right, but we need to assess his relevance. Does he jump the gun, and by that I mean do a lot more than he has been instructed, actions that have failed time and time again……”
“That’s the price you pay if you are more loyal than the king.”
“He is still there with the two hats, so I reckon it is a price that we are paying.”
“Hmmm but that is a hazard that we, the public, routinely face and need I add The Brown Pope’s actions that you referred to as jumping the gun is a condition facing all second tier leaders.”
“So no Sharifs, no Bhutto Zardaris, no…”
“No spiritual guide or her first family.”
“Agreed; once one becomes news world’s number one it is not easy to go back into oblivion, so I reckon the Third Wife’s silence is on the explicit instructions of the Man Who Must Remain Faceless and Nameless.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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