“There is nobody left here but us chickens.”
“I am not sure which city or country you are referring to, but our population growth is extremely high and there is no country in the world that will be willing to absorb so many of us, leaving only the chickens behind.”
“Don’t be deliberately obtuse….”
“I am simply stating a fact.”
“There are many countries that are accepting applications for residency….”
“True and the only ones who qualify are our rich.”
“Hmm that’s the new socialism in practice by many a country seeking a lot of money in return for a passport or residency: give me your energetic and very rich….”
“What is the percentage of rich in Pakistan?”
“Define rich?”
“With a house in a good locality, savings of twenty crores and up as well as a steady income of…..”
“I have said this so many times to you and will say just one more time: do not I repeat do not target politicians and bureaucrats – it’s not fair.”
“Well I can’t target the private sector because they don’t have access to taxpayers’ money.”
“Really?! What about the sugar mills seeking export subsidies, what about other manufacturers seeking zero ratings and special economic zones and…”
“To increase exports silly.”
“But these incentives mean that the tax collectors rely more on indirect taxes whose incidence on the poor is greater than on the rich.”
“OK you may have a point there but in any case when I said there is no one left but us chickens I was referring to so many AWOLs.”
“AWOL is absent without leave and is used for the military and I guess it can be used for bureaucrats – those with dual nationality and those seeking another….”
“Stop, I was referring to Zardari sahib, he is AWOL and is in London for quite a while, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has joined him and Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari has also arrived in London…..”
“Official visit or not?”
“I have it on good authority that they all took a commercial flight…”
“What? Doesn’t the President have his own plane? I mean the Prime Minister does and his plane is for use by the Deputy Prime Minister, the Chief Minister Punjab has her own plane and…”
“The others have helicopters I think, and last I heard a helicopter cannot fly all the way to London.”
“There is a new helicopter that is more expensive than a luxury plane, it is referred to as Trump helicopter and….”
“Don’t be facetious.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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