"I was a bit taken aback by the clothes, I can tell you?"
"Clothes? You do sound shallow."
"I guess I am but Nawaz Sharif in a suit freaked me out."
"Nawaz Sharif with hair freaked you out as well, if I remember correctly."
"What do you mean?"
"I think Nawaz Sharif has always freaked you out and anything he does kinda unnerves you. Why can't he wear a suit while in London, for Pete's sake? I mean wearing the same clothes as worn by the people of the country you are visiting is good politics, after all, right!"
"It is, but when he was Prime Minister he would insist that everyone around him should wear a Sherwani while on an official visit abroad and with the cost of a Sherwani being around Rs 10,000 at the time some people had to tighten their belts literally and figuratively to procure a Sherwani."
"Maybe because of inflationary pressures these days Mian Sahib, by wearing a suit himself is indirectly no longer requiring people to wear a Sherwani."
"Yep, savings begin at home."
"Indeed. He also got two visitors."
"Right, the PPP co-chairperson and Rehman Malik."
"You know the more people see Asif Zardari and Rehman Malik together the more they discount the Presidency conspiracy theory with respect to the delay in the bye-elections and focus on a PPP conspiracy."
"That did backfire."
"Yes it did."
"There you go - this is what democracy is all about. Had it happened when Musharraf and the Lotas were in power this would have been ignored."
"It is being ignored and Malik has only explained it to Zardari and we are told that it was a misunderstanding. But you are right, the decision was reversed and so yes democracy is at work. You know the US General Hood is also no longer going to be appointed in Islamabad."
"Again, reflecting the power of the press and democracy at work."
"Indeed - things are changing - slowly but surely."
"But Mr Zardari must realise that he can't rule like Benazir would have."
"There I agree. He has to tread carefully if he has to ensure that the party will wait for a Bhutto to complete his graduation."