"I have a theory."
"Economic or political?"
"Both, actually now that you mention it. What do you want first? Political or economic?"
"Political is more fun."
"OK, my theory is that whoever has power automatically becomes a PhD in politics."
"Hmmmm, why do I think I know where this is going! But where President Zardari ruled without an overall majority Nawaz Sharif is ruling with a majority? The difference is clear."
"Granted, but Nawaz Sharif has checkmated major league criticism by two acts, first by appointing Dr Malik as Chief Minister Balochistan and second by giving PCB to the recent chief minister Punjab thereby silencing many a critic."
"You are being facetious aren't you?"
"Don't you agree?"
"I have two complaints. First Gilani, our former prime minister, was not accorded protocol at Benazir Income Support Programme."
"Now who is being facetious?"
"I don't understand."
"First, Dar has never referred to the programme as BISP, the name Benazir has been conspicuously absent from his reference to the programme"
"As I said before, small-minded of Dar!"
"Indeed, and secondly Gilani was not accorded protocol at Benazir International Airport not at BISP and need I add he has no business in BISP anymore."
"Oh, it was a slip of the tongue."
"But anyway look where Berlusconi is right now? And Sarkozy? Once you are out of office you have no immunity."
"Protocol is not the same as immunity."
"Gilani has refused to appear before the FIA and NAB and claimed immunity..."
"Let's wait and see what happens there, what is your economic theory?"
"Dar needs to stop insisting that the sales tax rise from 16 to 17 percent is no big deal as it was levied at the higher rate earlier."
"But he is right."
"Yes, but the guy went on and on about the poor performance of the economy courtesy the PPP-led coalition which I agree with but then surely the guy must know a simple economic fact: that one does not raise sales tax when poverty has been steadily rising for the past five years and the country is in the grip of a stagflation."
"Give him a break he is a chartered accountant by education."
"Oh dear! Appointing relatives as federal ministers is not a good precedence."