"Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has urged our missions abroad to pursue economic diplomacy."
"Oh dear!"
"Whatever do you mean?"
"If you think foreign policy is any less of a challenge for the new government than the energy crisis then you have another thing coming."
"What do you mean?"
"The US doesn't want to end drone strikes and Bruce Reidel, a CIA operative, has already stated that Obama's decision to launch a drone strike a mere week before the new government was to be sworn in portends strains in the relationship. Then we have Saudi Arabia, a time-tested friend of all our leaders, including dictators, but somehow the Saudis did not take to Zardari sahib..."
"How can you say that?"
"Saudi Arabia was the only important country for us where the President visited only once and that too before he became the President. And remember no oil at deferred payment during the past five years."
"I guess but the Saudis have indicated that they don't want us to go for the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline."
"Like the US."
"Indeed, are you sure Zardari sahib didn't deliberately play this trump card during the last week of his party led government?"
"I thought he played that card to get votes, you know those against the US..."
"Ah, but our President's card wasn't only to trump the elections but also to ensure that the next government had problems with either Iran, to whom we have to pay large sums as penalty if we don't proceed with the agreement, or the US and Saudi Arabia."
"What if the PPPP had won the elections? President Zardari did think the party would win you know."
"Maybe he would have headed for the sea."
"What?"
"Zardari sahib is a PhD in politics, remember Javed Hashmi's statement, and the only one who understands his actions..."
"Is his family?"
"No his pir who advised him to deal with political problems by heading either for the mountains or the sea..."
"Oh dear."