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"So what's the Little One up to?"
"My son is well thank you and he is not so little and..."
"I wasn't referring to your son, I was referring to Liftah Ismail the man who would be the country's Finance Minister, a big post and need I add the second most important post in this country, but who has failed to fill the shoes of any of his predecessors - Dar, Salim Mandviwalla, Hafeez Sheikh, Shaukat Tareen, Shaukat Aziz."
"OK, two things, first it's not Liftah but Miftah."
"Oh sorry, that was a typographical error."
"I know you better so I don't believe your explanation. And Ismail doesn't need a lift as long as he attaches himself to the likes of our Lisping Prime Minister and need I add that was the case with all our finance ministers, possibly with the exception of Tarin..."
"Right, but the Lisper is transforming himself into a Lion, not the leader of the pride, just a young lion who is not old enough to leave the pride yet, and who may never be old enough to leave the pride...."
"Ah ha! That's the secret of perennial youth, I think we can package it and export it, invite foreign investors and......"
"Don't be facetious. Anyway, our Lisper will soon learn the media is not going to follow him around once he leaves office - the official news agency, the official television channel, the press information department dedicated to projecting the head of government all go away... ."
"Yeah, but anyway young lions never take over the pride they are born into, they leave once they reach full maturity, and that my friend includes all our politicians barring the party leaders."
"Indeed, so what about The Khan? Who is his Liftah?"
"Asad Umer, so said The Khan - the man whose distinguished career includes running Engro, a massive company..."
"Engro of the LNG fame?"
"Engro is a big company and no it's not of the LNG fame but yes it did get a contract for constructing an LNG terminal and will complete the second terminal next year, besides Umer left the company a long time ago, and yes Umer did go around defending the Lisper's LNG deal and yes..."
"Umer was in Engro for 27 years and perhaps the Khan can make him the Minister for Industries rather than Finance because Finance requires a tad more qualifications and experience and..."
"So no learning on the job!?"
"Not given the state of the economy. The Khan wanted to take an Ahmedi, Atif Mian, as his finance minister, a professor at the prestigious Princeton University but backed out because of Islamists backlash and said he would not have suggested his name had he known about his sect."
"That was in 2014 and one would hope The Khan's spiritual guide would tell him that getting the economy on track is the most important job if his party wins the elections."
"Maybe Khan will be more sensible, get Atif Mian to be the real finance minister and Umer as the front man and..."
"If wishes were horses."

Copyright Business Recorder, 2018

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