PARTLY FACETIOUS: A dog pound

"Islamabad's red zone looks like a dog pound."

"I would urge you to be careful, you know and I know how sensitive politicians of all ilk are to criticism."

"Hey silly I didn't mean it figuratively, I meant it literally."

"Literally as in there are stray dogs everywhere?"

""Yes I have seen stray dogs outside the national assembly, the supreme court, the Federal Board of Revenue...."

"What do you mean the Federal Board of Revenue? You reckon the FBR should levy a tax on the strays?"

"Don't be facetious you know what I mean, the Diplomatic Enclave is also full of strays."

"I heard that the courts have stayed the CDA from giving poison to these dogs - I mean that's animal cruelty and it also kills the birds and...and...."

"And the bees?"

"Don't be facetious - you know the Maulana will get mad at you for saying that!"

"Hey the Maulana has no powers no more - he can't even take me along on a foreign tour funded through the Kashmir Committee...."

"The first rule of Pakistani politics is what you do not have today you may tomorrow."

"Spoken like a true Zardi or is it Nawala."

"Neither; anyway going back to the dogs there is a non-Pakistani female reportedly feeding the strays and putting collars on them to indicate that they are not strays...."

"Ah so she provides food but no panah or shall we say a roof over their head."

"Indeed she is willing to cough up money for the food but not to set up a shelter for the dogs which is an expensive proposition."

"But more permanent - I heard in Karachi there is someone who sets up shelters for the dogs and that is the right way to go."

"The Khan should surely be aware that Islamabad has turned into a dog pound during his tenure and....."

"No I don't think he is aware, and that's why I urge the national assembly to pass legislation banning the use of air travel from and to offices in Islamabad, Nawaz Sharif when he was the prime minister focused on road building cause he knew the state of the roads as he traveled by road..."

"And road building is a rather lucrative venture for politicians of the ruling party..."

"Killing two birds with one stone requires an accountant."

"The Khan has no accountants, he needs an accountant and..."

"Don't be facetious."

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020