"So is Baig going to be the next Finance Minister: de facto or otherwise?"
"He has the necessary qualifications."
"He doesn't have an economics degree and he doesn't even have banking experience so favoured by the country's executive in the past so what qualifications are you talking about?"
"He is reportedly close to President Zardari and one of his children is married to the former Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin's children."
"Don't be facetious."
"I am not being facetious. He has been proposed by Tarin according to reports, selected by Zardari and interviewed by Gilani."
"That's a troika if I ever saw one!"
"Three names do not make a troika."
"In the Finance Ministry these three names do make a troika. Don't forget the establishment does not care too much about the economy other than to ensure that the government allocates it the money it asks for each year. And that this government, like its democratic predecessors, is doing."
"So this government would even expose us to inheriting a Finance Minister?"
"Well I wasn't aware that samdhi's inherit anything under Muslim law or any other law for that matter."
"A well connected samdhi..."
"You are being facetious. It is very possible that the guy makes a good Finance Minister. Besides I reckon being a smadhi got him short listed but not the job?"
"I guess. But at least Baig, like his samdhi Tarin, is not associated with corruption or indeed shady deals."
"I guess that's important but is he going to do a Tarin: stay away from his business interests for the duration of his tenure?"
"Ah the conflict of interest angle!"
"I mean I don't want to be looking at all the SROs from now on!"
"You are being premature. Its not even confirmed that he would be the main man in the Finance Ministry!"