PARTLY FACETIOUS: Our economic team in Washington

“Minister of Finance’s successful trip to Washington, DC…”

“Why don’t you wait before passing judgement – I mean It’s been only two days, three more days to go.”

“Well a picture is worth a thousand words, right?”

“Agreed!”

“And he had a picture taken with the World Bank head, a US nominee and the Asian Development Bank President, a Japanese government nominee.”

“OK, granted that the past three or four finance ministers failed to get these photoshoots, but during their tenure the IMF programme was on – so perhaps the need for the photoshoots was less. And before you ask let me say that yes we are seeking another Fund loan and the Managing Director of the Fund has already indicated the likelihood of approval so no need for photoshoots with her.”

“Right, but for your information the head of these institutions rely on their officers to thrash out a programme with associated conditions, so I don’t think the photoshoot will mean greater leverage in terms of more phased out conditions of the loan if you know what I mean.”

“Right, but what I wanted to flag, based on a peek at the agenda of the scheduled meetings of the Finance Minister, was that he is scheduled to meet Donald Lu.”

“Oh dear!”

“Indeed and I am not a Khanzadeh but do you think an Under Secretary merits a meeting with our finance minister. I mean why not send the Secretary Finance to the meeting rather than…”

“If I recall correctly, in some albeit disturbing instances in the past, the US State Department announced multilateral aid cessation before the multilateral officers.”

“Right, but do you think this meeting was set up as a slap on the face of the Man Who Must Remain Nameless because…”

“Because if I recall correctly Bilawal Bhutto Zardari as the Foreign Minister while in the US during the previous Shahbaz Sharif led government stated that even though he had political differences with the Man Who Must Remain Nameless yet in his words Imran Khan had visited Russia as per Pakistan’s foreign policy. It will be wrong to blame Pakistan over Russia’s visit. We are tired of facing back to back wars. Children and women have been martyred =and now we think war is not a solution.”

“For your information The Samdhi is the minister of foreign affairs, I mean you can’t expect an investment banker to…to…”

“Hmmmm.”

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