ARTICLE: "So how is our Deputy Prime Minister?"

"Well the former Deputy is in London and the present one is very much here thank you."

"What's with London and our former Deputy Prime Ministers? Ishaq Dar is there, now Jehangir Tareen is there and..."

"And for your information I don't think Asad Umer will ever go and relocate in London which to me means that he is of the soil, for the soil and...and..."

"Not by the soil, perhaps back into the soil!"

"Indeed, and he represents a new Pakistan in letter and spirit."

"Chaudhary Pervez Elahi is a former Deputy Prime Minister and he never relocated to London....."

"That's because he was a deputy in name only, the King Deal Maker, Zardari sahib, would never empower anyone other than his personal loyalists...."

"Which the Chaudharys have proved time and again they are....but perhaps not to these party heads...."

"What about competence? Which deputy PM has been the most competent?"

"Well certainly not Dar, his contribution to the state of our present economy brings tears to our eyes.

"Tears of joy!"

"Ha, ha, so now I know you are a Nawala, happy with a small bite left over by the Nawaz Sharif family."

"Don't be facetious - anyway these Brothers' Umer are politically more savvy than I originally thought, I mean Mohd Zubair got the governorship of Sindh and Asad Umer after being fired once was reinstated in all his glory and...."

"That's where you are wrong. They are not like the Brothers Karamazov who had the same last name if you know what I mean...."

"Don't be facetious anyway I just wanted to point out to the Deputy PM that he needs to make some adjustments in policy..."

"How dare you!? How dare you!"

"Hear me out, each country has a protocol for entry and we don't. I mean all those entering Pakistan don't have to take a corona test prior to landing here and as you and I know the disease is rampant in other countries and it just doesn't make sense to me...."

"Corona19 is under control here and that's all down to smart lockdown a la The Khan and his Deputy and..."

"Smart but not very intelligent if no test is required prior to entry."

"Hey the intelligentsia is out of power these days - the era of The Smart is at hand."

"Ha ha don't be facetious."

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020