“Retirement unlocks one’s tongue.” “Only retirement?” “Well retirement certainly, I am not sure who you are referring to…”

“In recent days I have witnessed a number of ‘The Fired’ and one individual who Resigned hogging the airwaves criticising successors…why are you laughing?”

“The criticised were criticisers once.”

“And need I add the circle has been ongoing ad nauseum.”

“With the price paid for by the general public, it reminds me of a line from my favourite poet William Blake. Truly, my Satan, thou art but a dunce, And dost not know the Garment from the Man, Every harlot was a virgin once…”

“Hmmm, that thought is reminiscent of writings of our own Saadat Hasan Manto, anyway we need to see the glass as half full like our politicians.”

“For the politicians the glass is full only when they are in power, when they are out it, the glass is empty so the prospect of a half full glass does not arise and…”

“I hear Ishaq Dar’s glass is full even though the glass of his most ardent supporters remains empty.”

“Excuse me but Notification Maryam Nawaz (NMN) says that it would be the PML-N government only when daddy is back, and daddy ain’t coming back what with all these court decisions and…”

“I thought NMN said that their government came to power on 27 November when the previous Chief of Army Staff retired and not 10 April?”

“Please don’t challenge her fundamental rights. It is the right of all to change their minds – at a moment’s notice, within the hour, overnight…”

“Don’t be facetious, anyway how about agreeing to the PML-N coming to power on 26 September?”

“You lost me, whatever happened then?”

“Dar sahib returned the same way he left – on the Prime Minister’s plane.”

“With one difference my friend – the Prime Minister was actually on the plane on his return.”

“I concede that is a big difference indeed. But his flawed decisions have already cost the economy at least 2 to 3 billion dollars so I vote that we all chip in and pay for his return flight…”

“Don’t be facetious. Dar sahib is a trend setter. No one else, I repeat no one else, went into exile on the Prime Minister’s plane and returned on his plane.”

“Ameen.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023