“So who do you believe?” “I reckon belief is an extremely partisan concept - I don’t think the Khanzadehs believe the pronouncements of Notification Maryam Nawaz (NMN), any more than those who hang around NMN believe in what The Khan is saying.”

“The number of believers…”

“May dictate who wins the elections but certainly not who is telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”

“Hmmm, I believe use of language for propaganda is dangerous. George Orwell, of the some are more equal than others quote, said that if thought corrupts language then language also corrupts thought.”

“Indeed and the philosopher Bertrand Russel queried as to why propaganda is so much more successful when it stirs up hatred than when it tries to stir up friendly feeling. Why are you laughing?”

“Friendly feeling is a concept completely alien to our politics.”

“Really I thought the venom spitting is more person specific. I mean no one can spit out venom like Notification Maryam Nawaz (NMN). The Khan’s capacity to spit venom at his opponents is kinda limited because it is so widely dispersed while NMN focuses her venom…”

“Ha ha, true, anyway since you seem to be focused on politicians let me quote John F Kennedy on the subject, no matter how big the lie, he said about the Republican party, repeat it often enough and the masses will regard it as truth.”

“Hmmmm, maybe in the 1960s but not right now. We have many alternate sources of information these days…”

“Right but it still boils down to who you believe more: The Khan or NMN or indeed daddy whose continued exile……”

“Yeah yeah, daddy ain’t coming back till…’

“The cows come home to roost?”

“Not cows water buffaloes which need I remind you, were sold by The Khan when he was Prime Minister.”

“Don’t be facetious anyway I would like to quote Noam Chomsky: propaganda is to democracy what the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state.”

“We as a nation are more used to being bludgeoned than…than…”

“Got it.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023