"Salman Shah, the advisor to the Chosen One, says that he doesn't understand why the political parties opposed to Musharraf are against the privatisation of PTCL when they themselves promoted that policy when they were in power."
"Does he accept that the policies of his government are not really different from what was undertaken during the reign of our home grown two spoilt brats."
"Two spoilt brats?"
"Yes. BB and Nawaz Sharif. I mean the two of them acted like spoilt children, willful to the point of committing political suicide and pouting childishly in front of the world when what they wanted didn't happen."
"Ah yes, but I believe they have both matured. I mean they are talking to each other now."
"Their time will come back. It always does. In this country everyone gets a second chance if you know what I mean, all one needs is patience."
"Except Bhutto."
"Even his name was vindicated and resurrected in the aftermath of the Zia legacy of sectarian violence, ethnic clashes, the Afghan policy..."
"Ah yes, quite a legacy that! But no suicide bombers, no giving into the US without exacting considerable amount of money, no..."
"I get your drift."
"Anyway, you are right. Economic policies have not really varied over the last two decades, sure we had more problems accessing foreign loans earlier after sanctions were imposed on us in the aftermath of the nuclear tests but I think it would have been politic of Salman Shah to accept the commonality of the policies and then take the opposition along with these policies..."
"He has no authority to do so. As I said before he is to the Chosen One what the Chosen One is to Musharraf."
"So no power but a lot of bravado when talking to us common folk."
"Precisely."
"What about the begging bowl being broken..."
"They have mended it by painstakingly gluing it back together...I mean how else can they support a growth rate of 8.5%."
"That's true."
"So the only politics they have learned is to flaunt what can not be proved and..."
"And there we have it. Déjà vu."
"But with a difference: hundreds of PTCL striking staff are behind bars and the army is stationed at PTCL stations I believe."
"Ah yes, there is always a difference with a lot of commonality. It's up to you to judge whether the difference is for good or bad."
"I think the jailing is bad for the union and shows the government in a poor light but, hey, you've gotta do what you've gotta do. I mean privatisation will improve productivity."
"I hope this time around they get paid what they sell for."
"Yes I do believe there are problems with payment on the KESC deal."