"Yeah! We have another directory!"
"Are congratulations in order?"
"Absolutely, because this time the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies has produced a directory of think tanks and..."
"I was being sarcastic - I mean what could possibly excite you about directories?"
"Well, I would have you know that the most popular party in this country namely the PML-N took the bold step, let me emphasise this, the very, very bold step of publishing a directory of the amount of tax paid by all parliamentarians and need I add that was a landmark decision that was implemented courtesy the brave Ishaq Dar..."
"Slow down, my friend slow down; what was so landmark about it?"
"Well, no one had dared publish such a directory before."
"Alright, but what was the objective of the directory?"
"To name and shame our parliamentarians who do not pay taxes and..."
"Was a follow up directory published?"
"What?"
"Did naming and shaming politicians lead to higher tax collections from them?"
"No, I don't think so!"
"Did Dar begin a debate on the need for a constitutional amendment that would compel over 85 percent of our parliamentarians whose income is sourced to agriculture to pay tax on their net income at the same rate as the salaried class?"
"That chapter closed when the PML-N and the PPP and all our other major parties barring the MQM opposed changing that clause of the constitution when the present Chair of the Senate was leading negotiations on the 18th Constitutional Amendment."
"OK, so did Dar publish a directory of taxes paid by the remaining 15 percent of our politicians whose income is not sourced to agriculture many of whom have assets held abroad?"
"You out of your mind - Dar is not likely to know that, barring perhaps taxes paid by the Sharif family as well as his own."
"I hear he is no longer their accountant and..."
"There you go the matter is closed..."
"But..."
"Closed you silly! Now you can raise it when and if the government changes."
"Same o, same o, hunh!"
"Yeah, and change be damned."