"Why are they denying it?"
"Denial is always better than acceptance - that's the motto of our government functionaries."
"Functionaries?"
"I think it's an all inclusive term - I mean it includes everyone, the bureaucrats, the politicians who get paid with our tax money, the Khakis. What I mean is I was getting tired of using so many terms which really mean the same thing: all support for the man in the chair and all are paid for by the money you and I pay in taxes."
"I guess that's fair but I think in this case denial smacks of stupidity while acceptance may mean competence."
"What are you talking about? Denial of what?"
"Well, our intelligence is denying that they knew anything about September 11 attacks."
"It's not good for intelligence agencies to be intelligent about information if you know what I mean."
"Wasn't there also a story a while back that the Israelis knew about the imminent attacks? My point is if the Israeli and Pakistani intelligence are the only two that knew what was about to happen, then doesn't it mean our intelligence is the best in the world?"
"Well, I guess acceptance may mean complicity, however indirect, in killing those 3000 people in the World Trade Centre and no intelligence agency wants that."
"But who would have believed our intelligence? I mean we all believe Israeli intelligence is very good but Pakistani? I mean really!"
"So you think if we had tried to warn the Americans they wouldn't have believed us?" "Nope. So denial is better. Deny everything."
"A report by Arnaud de Borchgrave, a journalist awarded by the Zia regime for his reporting on the Afghan war, also claimed that Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was treated at a military hospital in Peshawar."
"Awarded by Zia regime...must be one hell of a journalist. But I guess there will be another denial from our functionaries."
"And what else have our czars denied?"
"Denial about Kargil therefore not requiring any inquiry, denial about who chose Shaukat Aziz, denial about who was responsible for Jamali's departure, denial that the money was ever BB's or the house was ever BB's, denial that Nawaz Sharif gave the stupid order to land the PIA plane carrying Musharraf home somewhere in India, denial..."
"Hey, cool down. I ask you one example and you give so many."