“I have it on good authority that a conspiracy is brewing.”

“Against The Khan again! I mean…”

“Nope.”

“Against the Brothers Sharif?”

“Why do you say that? I mean they are sitting pretty — one in London, one in Raiwind, one in PM House and one in the expensive flat in Park Lane.”

“When I say The Khan, it’s a definite no and when I say the Sharifs you want to know why? This shows that you are not neutral.”

“Well there are reports that the IMF has asked for an amendment to the National Accountability Law and I find it baffling that those who should know better say it is not within the Fund’s purview — the IMF has an anti-corruption policy and additionally, it routinely harmonizes its policies with other multilaterals, including Financial Action Task Force and…”

“Well I would have you know that talking is our national past time, with or without the requisite knowledge, and as reading is not a national pastime…”

“Don’t be facetious. If you recall Hafeez Sheikh claimed that the Fund has nothing to do with seeking a readjustment of the 2010 National Finance Commission award while the Fund website clearly noted that our team headed by Sheikh had agreed to revisit the resource distribution under the NFC award.”

“Well Sheikh is not young any more — I reckon he feels he has done all the reading for his lifetime.”

“Hmmm, so what conspiracy is brewing you reckon?”

“The Khan’s Farrukh Habib, after Dar’s statement that he is returning to Pakistan…”

“Really, I mean didn’t Dar slink out of the country on the then Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s plane and this was when his own party was in power so does he really think when he returns he can do yet another affidavit overturn.”

“Ha ha, no not Abbasi’s plane, but the official Prime Minister’s plane, see that perhaps is why Abbasi is not the prime minister today.”

“Jehangir Tareen had a plane and he is out as well.”

“The whims of the powerful…anyway what did you mean by affidavit overturn?”

“The 48-page affidavit Dar wrote and later claimed he was forced to write it by Musharraf but of course with the PML-N government in power the state attorneys withdrew their case which got him off the hook…”

“Well it’s the same o same o now.”

“And is that the conspiracy you were referring to?”

“No, Habib said that the return of Dar is indicative of NRO 2 which is enshrined in the recent NAB amendments…”

“I don’t get it?”

“Who benefits the most if Dar doesn’t return?”

“Mift……ah I get it.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022