"If you are referring to Musharraf then yes he is certainly defiant."
"He says he took everyone on board with respect to November 3."
"I don't think he was taking any one on board after the first six months of his 1999 coup."
"That does make sense. Considering that even our civilian presidents stopped listening to their own party high command after a few months in power lends credence to your view. Besides I would be surprised if Musharraf has irrefutable proof of his contention that everyone was on board."
"Am not sure about documentary proof; however you are right: with the possible exception of Tarar and he was hand-picked by Nawaz Sharif..."
"So was Leghari by BB; as was Musharraf himself by Nawaz Sharif. The list is indeed exhaustive..."
"Right, but history teaches us that handing over the office of president to anyone - be he the chief of army staff, a party loyalist or a bureaucrat - fuels a fragile ego and exercise of that power is but a short time away."
"As President Zardari keeps telling us he is a student of history you reckon he has learnt any lessons from it?"
"Being a student and actually learning from past mistakes are two different things. Look at the adventurism in Punjab which would remain a threat as long as Taseer remains in the Governor's House."
"You just don't like Zardari but to be fair to him he did learn a valuable lesson from history."
"What?'
"That it is preferable to occupy the Aiwan-e-Sadr than the Prime Minister's house."
"Yes, indeed, but you forget one very important fact."
"Which is?"
"That President Zardari is the only president in history who has stayed in both the Aiwan-e-Sadr and the Prime Minister's house."
"When he was the president in waiting he stayed as a guest of Gilani's for security reasons last year."
"And when BB was the Prime Minister?"
"I forgot about that."
"You are developing the same malaise as our politicians: a selective memory."
"Ah, but you have to leave the past behind and move on, you cannot dwell on what a man was, rather what he has become..."
"In short you are implying people learn from history? And what if they don't?"
"I give up."