“So which important personality visited The Sheikh in jail asking him to denounce The Khan?” “Well I am baffled because he is a one-man party, true he is the darling of the electronic media because…”

“His predictions are limited to a month or two at most, so the relevance is there, while requesting Ahsan Iqbal would mean ten years if not fifteen…”

“Don’t be facetious anyway when I said he is the darling of the electronic media I was referring to his perennial availability for any programme – I once saw him on a cooking channel…”

“Indeed but any guesses as to which important personality visited him in jail asking him to denounce The Khan…?”

“Well I have it on good authority that the head of one institution is out of the country while the head of another has never visited anyone in jail – whether a bench of which he was a member sent the individual to jail or not and…”

“OK so did The Rana…”

“The Rana has been tasked to be the new and improved Trainer of Notification Maryam Nawaz (NMN) and....wait let me finish I would like to humbly request Nawaz Sharif to release him so that he can return to his duties in the federal capital – I mean roads into and out of the Blue Area have been blocked since…why since The Rana was appointed as The Trainer.”

“Well look at this way – if he can train NMN there will be no need to issue another notification appointing her as the party senior-senior, or senior squared vice president…”

“She is the only vice president now so the need to square it.…”

“Hmmm but she will be due a promotion soon and Nawaz Sharif can’t make her president as long as Shahbaz Sharif presides over an 85-member cabinet.”

“Anyway I reckon the late departed General who The Sheikh served faithfully….”

“Let him be, anyway I reckon you have to give Shahbaz Sharif his due….”

“That he can only increase the number of his Cabinet as coalition members and NMN becomes more insistent that their nominations be notified.”

“Don’t be facetious, anyway I think the country owes a debt of gratitude to Shahbaz Sharif for getting an economist, Ayesha Ghous Pasha, to deal with the Fund mission which would explain why a deal is likely instead of you know who?”

“I still want to know how much of our tax money is being spent on the expanding cabinet!”

“The Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister reportedly spend their own money to purchase tickets and clear hotel bills when travelling abroad on official trips.”

“And what about their protocol within the country, their stay in the federal capital, and the rest of the 81 members of the cabinet?”

“Who do you think I am? A munshi?”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023