“If you are not the top honcho in a Pakistani political party you have to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds.”
“But you do realise that this proverb is most suited to our politicians. Note, run with the hare, singular, hunt with the hounds, plural…”
“Indeed, and don’t forget while in training the current leadership of most of the political parties had to learn to run with hare and hunt with the hounds.”
“How come?”
“For Nawaz Sharif the hare changed from General Jilani to Ziaul Haq till he declared himself as the hare though mind this declaration was not realistic at the best of times. Take Zardari sahib he was one of the influential hounds when Benazir Bhutto was alive and when he was declared the hare in the affidavit…”
“It wasn’t an affidavit - it wasn’t signed in front of a magistrate, it was ‘to whom it may concern’ statement, now Ishaq Dar did sign a rather damning affidavit…”
“And Dar is the senior hound who let’s be honest contributed to the electoral defeat of PML-N in 2018 and what I find truly baffling is Shehbaz Sharif’s agreement to allow Dar to actually address his pre-budget seminar! I mean an accountant with no knowledge of economics and…”
“Your premise is flawed: Shehbaz Sharif is not the hare in that party – though Maryam Nawaz is no longer junior hare or chief hound yet…”
“Speaking of the lady what’s up with Rana sahib? Has he dumped Shehbaz Sharif because he reckons he is not the hare? I mean his statement that the lady should be given some role – I ask you what role? She has angered the PPP leadership, a party whose support is critical if the government is to regard the opposition as some kind of a threat, she has angered the establishment for doing a daddy: making the same mistake which cost him his job three times and may well compromise her ambitions, she has angered many members of the PML-N by her flawed policy thrust to resign…”
“Oh, by the way daddy made the same mistake thrice and she has made that mistake once already so the junior hare or chief hound is catching up…”
“Ha ha, that’s true anyway I reckon a samdhi (the man whose son is married to one’s daughter) trumps the other daughter (Maryam Nawaz) for Nawaz Sharif and Brother Number One has sidelined the niece but not the samdhi…”
“Indeed these are tricky relationships, you know that.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021