Partly Facetious: Cover is not important

18 Oct, 2017

"I propose an amendment to the constitution."
"Well, tough - you are neither a member of the National Assembly nor the president of a major party so given that you can't put up, you might as well shut up."
"Wow, such animus - what job are you gunning for? To become part of the media cell of the former First Daughter? Those guys, and I use that as a gender neutral term, have done very well in terms of portfolios."
"Don't judge a book by its cover is all I am going to say on the subject."
"The cover is extremely important in the politics of inheritance my friend. The clever Asif Ali Zardari got his three children to use Bhutto as their middle name and the Prime Minister's daughter Maryam while perfectly willing to use her husband's last name for a long time after her marriage has reverted to Maryam Nawaz and you tell me the cover is not important."
"A name is not a cover!"
"So what is?"
"A cover is...is..."
"Think about an alternate and meanwhile accept my definition....in my book the surname is a cover - many modern women no longer take on their husband's last name..."
"But Nawaz is not the last name it's Sharif."
"Given the many non-Nawaz Sharifs floating around on the political scene Maryam wisely opted for Nawaz as her new last name."
"I think it's their family tradition, they use their dad's first name, I mean one hears of Hamza Shahbaz and..."
"That's right and that's because the hierarchy was established a long time ago between the two brothers - Nawaz and Shahbaz."
"Right, but who will inherit from Nawaz Sharif is not yet firmed up."
"Don't be facetious."
"OK, but when I said I wanted to propose a constitutional amendment I was actually going to make a non-controversial suggestion which is to include the office of a deputy prime minister...."
"Zardari sahib installed a deputy prime minister, Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, a member of according to him the former Qatil (murder) league and the present Quandary league..."
"It's not a quandary league - it hates Nawaz Sharif, no uncertainty about that, but is willing to wait and see who to side with as and when the final results of the 2018 elections are out..."
"But if Nawaz Sharif offers conciliation then?"
"Oh I see, yes then the party would be in a quandary; but anyway a deputy PM would allow the head honcho to have his favourite installed, Nawaz Sharif had Ishaq Dar, and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has Ahsan Iqbal..."
"I thought he wanted Miftah Ismail..."
"He tried but I heard Mian sahib didn't agree - the reason is Ismail has done nothing untoward for the Sharifs, you know gone out of his way and..."

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