“This policy has disappointed The Khan’s die hard supporters…and the large number of undecided who voted for him in the 2018 elections…”
“Hey the rupee is depreciating due to disorderly market conditions…”
“Is it disorderly market conditions or is it disorderly policy decisions?”
“Disorderly market conditions are a judgment call by those who are occupying certain positions while disorderly policy decisions are a judgment call by the largest cabinet in the country’s history and disorderly sentiments are a flawed judgment call by you and me.”
“Flawed because they are against the government’s narrative?”
“Yes, anyway I wasn’t referring to the rupee depreciation.”
“Inflation my friend is all due to the dratted pandemic and the rise in price of what we import and…”
“Nope, not that either.”
“OK, so then what disappointed The Khan’s die hard supporters?”
“Revealing the gifts he or his family members receive as Pakistan’s Prime Minister.”
“That’s so unfair, I mean the Prime Minister gave a shut up call during the cabinet meeting to those who suggested he reveals the gifts he or his family members received by stating that the government’s policy is not to embarrass the country that gave the gift and…and…stop he raised the cost payable to 50 percent instead of the earlier 25 percent so put that in your pipe and smoke it.”
“Two questions: who sets the price of the items? And if it is a religious gift then who will set the price that the Public would pay for it?”
“Hmm, you know I went to a jeweler a few months ago who had priced relic from the Khana-e-Kaaba, which had little material value but which he priced at one crore rupees, and had already received a couple of offers from the Public…”
“Indeed and such a gift from a foreign government should have been placed in a public viewing room so that the people of the country could have…”
“Oh shut up – the previous prime ministers kept so much upon payment of only 25 percent…”
“Indeed, but it was my duty to let The Khan know as one of his supporters – what he does with it is his call!”
“Indeed it is, but you know it will come out in the end as Gilani’s family keeping the necklace of the Turkish president’s wife…”
“The Khan has come of age: he doesn’t think he will ever be unelected from his current position.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021