"This time around Eid came with a bit of a problem."
"What happened?"
"Well, I couldn't afford to buy as much as I could last year. I haven't quite begun to think of the Musharraf era with nostalgia yet, because I believe it was his disastrous economic policies as well as poor governance that are responsible for today's prices."
"You are right - each subsequent government has been worse than the one before. Our bad luck! But tell me have governance and economic policies improved?"
"Not visibly."
"But there is one good thing about high prices. You are not alone in feeling its impact. That may develop solidarity within our nation state and for a country like ours where ethnic and sectarian conflict..."
"Don't be facetious. As I was saying, we the people of Pakistan, couldn't buy even half of what we did with our salary on last Eid."
"You can't generalise. I bet the very rich, and all our politicians are in that category, could buy pretty much what they want this year too."
"Yes, that is true and certainly the entire leadership of our political parties is in that lucky group."
"Correct but don't grudge them their wealth."
"I do, none of them was as wealthy as when they became leaders."
"That charge simply cannot include President Zardari."
"Don't be facetious."
"So now what?"
"Now we wait for the indigenous economic package - which ironically will rely heavily on foreign assistance - that will transform our economy into an Asian tiger."
"Right now the target is of a scraggy cat rather than a tiger."
"I can only say miaow."