“I see the same pattern.” “What pattern? Disclaiming responsibility by a party head, and for good measure holding an institution responsible?”

“Well no, remember when Z A Bhutto was in jail one by one his closest associates left him and for good measure denounced him and…”

“Indeed, but Bhuttoism is alive and still a force today. Sindh belongs to…”

“Agreed but then Bhutto is dead.”

“Hmmm, so you reckon the denouncement of 9 May mayhem followed by one individual leaving the party so far and some of the party hawks denouncing, while others considerably toning down if not outright condemning, no longer supporting their leader’s rhetoric against an institution…”

“Hey what’s with Ali Zaidi? His mother’s house declared his sub-jail, so very uncomfortable that he is complaining! I mean Fawad Chaudhary, Shah Mehmud, Asad Umar, Shirin Mazari would give a lot to be similarly treated.”

“I heard the toilet that is attached to the bedroom that is occupied by Zaidi is clogged and no plumber is allowed by the dratted police outside…”

“Don’t be facetious, anyway the difference of treatment maybe between Zardari sahib’s policy of reconciliation and The Rana’s policy of...of…well the exact opposite. Anyway as I said Bhutto died and there are some reports that Bhutto refused the offer of an escape from jail but he had his daughter…”

“And you reckon The Khan has no replacement? Granted that his children are unlikely to return or to command the devotees that The Khan commands but in the subcontinent, wives do inherit, remember Kulsoom Nawaz Sharif? She took over when her husband was in jail and need I add did better politics than her husband and daughter put together but she was really only there for a short time and negotiated a settlement for exile…”

“Agreed besides Kulsoom was never Nawaz Sharif’s spiritual guide…”

“She fully and unreservedly backed Notification Maryam Nawaz…”

“Who is her first born now I ask you a Third Wife who, The Khan acknowledges, is his spiritual guide is unlikely to inherit his mantle in his absence.”

“I would have you know that The Third Wife has many devotees who are in positions of power…”

“And who are being weaned out one by one by one…”

“So you reckon the Bhutto syndrome for The Khan?”

“So far it’s the same o same o. Let’s wait and see the implementation capacity of The double Ain (24th letter of the Urdu alphabet).”

“Stop with your contempt – As you are aware no one can be contemptuous of anyone legally anymore…”

“Ha ha, so decreed by those who are openly contemptuous of everyone else.”

“Agreed.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023