“How goes it?” “Which year is this?”

“2023 why?”

“Could someone let the Finance Minister know which year this is?”

“Hey he knows which year this is – it’s the year when all his assets were restored to him – the house in Lahore, the bank accounts, the…”

“Wasn’t that during the last days of 2022?”

“Technically yes…”

“Are you implying it’s a technical …?”

“Ha ha, yes I guess; anyway his assets were restored while people like you and me are struggling to make ends meet. And no I am not referring to the rich exporters who Dar sahib gave a 110 billion rupees unbudgeted therefore unfunded electricity subsidy…”

“Didn’t you know the power sector was doing so well!”

“Sarcasm doesn’t suit a person who has been downgraded from middle to lower middle class.”

“That’s all that is left to me. Anyway the 1.3 to 1.4 trillion rupee loans to the rich farmers announced in his inexplicable farm policy…”

“OK which is why I reckon he needs to know it’s not 2017.”

“March 2017 or July 2017 or September 2017?”

“What?”

“March he was sitting pretty, July the case of assets beyond known means had gathered momentum so to speak and September he left the country on the then Prime Minister’s plane not to return till after the NAB amendment bill was passed.”

“I hope you never experience back problems - anyway you have to appreciate the guy! He is the herald for Nawaz Sharif’s return…”

“Right but why do you think he doesn’t know which year it is?”

“Because my friend the IMF is not only insisting on making good the budgeted revenue shortfall, it’s also insisting on reversing the continuation of Dar sahib’s 2014 to 2017 policies that not only include the electricity and credit subsidy to the elite but artificially keeping the rupee low - all of which are delaying the Fund’s ninth review and raising the rate of inflation and unemployment and…”

“Hey it’s all you naysayers who need to shut up.”

“Didn’t I just put up?”

“I didn’t say put up or shut up, I just said shut up.”

“Hmmmm.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023