"So what's the latest on the Pak-US front?"
"The US is saying that Pakistan must stop cross-border terrorist attacks..."
"And Pakistan is saying the same thing now."
"Indeed, and when did this mutually inclusive demand began?"
"Recently."
"I would like to urge the Pakistani negotiators to please learn some lessons from the past. We began by assisting the Taliban when they were in power and we suffered as a consequence, suffered in terms of increased heroin inflow as well as increased arms and ammunition inflow as well as law and order issues. Then we supported the Americans, and we got a lot of cash assistance that we misused, can't identify any major economic project ongoing during Musharraf's era that would lay the blame for poor performance of our deficient infrastructure sector on the current set."
"Ah, so the jiyalas are right when they say it was all inherited."
"To a large extent but after more than four years of rule blaming the previous government is not likely to be believed even by the gullible. Anyway then we began distinguishing between the good and the bad Taliban and now the situation is that the bad Taliban are crossing the border and killing our soldiers. Surely there is a need to change policy."
"We have General Pervez Kayani, Hina Rabbani Khar and Dr Hafeez Sheikh negotiating with the Americans."
"Our trump card, or shall I say our only card is the restoration of Nato supply routes, we have to see what we get in return, Hafeez Sheikh wants cash to meet the burgeoning budget deficit and to render his third budget relevant for at least half a month of the new fiscal year, Khar is trying to juggle the army and civilian interests..."
"Which mean following orders?"
"Yep while General Kayani is busy negotiating an apology as well as trying to ensure continued US military assistance as well as keeping what we describe as the good Taliban away from the Americans and requesting the Americans to keep their own bad Taliban on their side of the border and..."
"Life is not easy...so what do you reckon will happen?"
"I reckon negotiations would be successful, we need US money urgently for our faltering economy, and we cant embrace isolation - we don't have the natural resources to do so, and last but not least we cant be seen to be capitulating to US demands after all this is going to be an election year."
"Man life is hard at the top...though the perks are equally high."
"Indeed."