Partly Facetious: Has minus one formula worked?

"This minus one formula works."
"I am sorry, but if you think Altaf bhai is simply going to go away because of a few dissidents who incidentally had already been silenced by him you have another think coming."
"No, I was not referring to Altaf bhai."
"If you reckon Zardari sahib or any of the Bhutto Zardaris are part of a minus one formula then..."
"Nope, not them either - besides that minus four, and now you know the validity of the expression a fist is stronger than five fingers."
"Hey, I am one for families against the rest of the world but sometime one particular finger is stronger..."
"Hey, what is this? Your happy-hour?"
"I apologise, anyway you can't have minus one with respect to the PML-N either - Mian sahib remains the undisputed leader and need I add whatever he says goes - from what would be served for breakfast, lunch and dinner, to PIA privatisation to..."
"Don't be facetious, anyway who were you referring to when you said the minus one formula is working."
"The Institute of Policy Reforms (IPR) got rid of former finance minister and need I add the most qualified economist in that institution namely Dr Hafiz Pasha and the latest prognosis of the entity: everything is hunky dory except perhaps growth and..."
"Hey, the financiers always have the last say - you know why Dar sahib is regarded as the Deputy Prime Minister: because he holds the purse strings."
"I thought you said Mian sahib is the undisputed leader of that party?"
"Yes it's all hierarchical; Dar sahib listens to Mian sahib only and the Akhtar Khan brothers listen to Dar sahib and so on..."
"I get it, but did you hear of the plus one formula being successful?"
"I don't get it?"
"Mian sahib, the prime minister, summoned Maulana Fazlur Rehman, whose party has no presence in Punjab, to discuss the Women's Protection Bill Punjab."
"Plus one comes into play in provinces when the undisputed leader of the party wants support in the centre."
"Indeed, and there is the PIA bill."
"Indeed."