"Dar sahib has been feting the two heads of multilateral institutions that he is borrowing heavily from."
"Indeed, but need I add that the IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde was impressive and in her joint press conference with Dar she argued that the advances in information technology militate against delaying or postponing accountability to..."
"I know where you are going with this and let me tell you that Dar sahib was visibly irritated and..."
"Right, but he aimed his irritation at the reporters and not the IMF MD. Let me tell you that Dar sahib has experience in determining his place in any hierarchy."
"I guess, but anyway at the lecture on emerging markets Lagarde stated that if Pakistan requested to go on another IMF programme the Fund would extend it but the next day when asked the same question she said no rather in a peremptory fashion."
"You reckon it was in deference to Dar's sensibilities?"
"I am not sure what Dar would have preferred - her saying that the Panama and Bahama were our internal affair or her saying that Pakistan would not need a programme in future? And let's be honest, we are a perennial borrower from the Fund and the way our exports and remittances are declining, foreign direct investment never took off, and growth grossly exaggerated by a department under Dar sahib's administrative control..."
"You always see the glass as half empty."
"No my friend, I am seeing the glass as three quarters empty by now and don't forget Lagarde did warn authorities that the debt is too high and that we have to improve the economic performance considerably to match the performance of the emerging markets and..."
"Right, but I have to say I was impressed with her interactions with the media and her statements and her..."
"Don't compare her with other heads of multilaterals - don't forget she is an accomplished politician, she was France's Finance Minister, and..."
"Speaking of accomplished politicians we have our share though their media training requires them to heap verbal abuse on their opponents in a voice five to six times at a higher decibel than their normal voice irrespective of whether their charges are accurate or not and..."
"Let's send our politicians to France for media training."
"Don't be silly, our politicians' media training is twofold: to extend favours - monetary or non monetary and when in government use the state funded media institutions to present a one sided view."
"If we can send our National Assembly members to foreign countries to plead the Kashmir cause at the taxpayers' expense and need I add, the local media and not the media of the country they were sent to cover the event, why can't we send them for media training to France?"
"Don't be facetious."
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