Partly Facetious: several similarities with Zia's regime

"So one of the Maulanas wants permission to attend the National Security Council?"
"Musharraf will be overjoyed. I mean otherwise it was like a Cabinet meeting - all yes men and ne'er a man to question the will of the One."
"Over dramatic, don't you think?"
"Yes but true nonetheless. So my question is who did the Maulana seek permission from?"
"The MMA high command."
"Ah yes."
"So on the one hand they hold protest rallies against Musharraf protesting over his holding of two offices and on the other hand they are trying to make a success of the NSC - one of his main loves shall we say."
"Maybe they are scared that with Musharraf now wooing BB and Nawaz Sharif they need to do something that he will be happy with. I mean they must miss the days when they themselves were wooed."
"Yes, but one of the MMA components has split and another maybe on the verge of breaking away."
"Yes and besides the Maulanas also know the old politicians, namely, BB and Nawaz Sharif who are bound to have another falling out with Musharraf. I mean he is not going to give them too much other than freedom from jail if you know what I mean. And the power will remain with Musharraf. Now Nawaz Sharif may be willing to accept that for a couple of years, I hear it is particularly dull in Saudi Arabia, even in a palatial palace, but I doubt if BB would accept it."
"Yeah, I guess. But you have to praise Musharraf's acumen. I mean the guy is a shrewd politician."
"Indeed. But he is not really different from his predecessors, namely, Zia, I mean there are several similarities with Zia's regime, including 58 2(b) and don't forget it was Zia's dream to establish an NSC but he was thwarted at the time."
"The brand of Lotas during Zia's time had slightly more principles than the current batch. And you know without the Lotas these two men could not have ruled."
"Yes. Then there was Ayub Khan."
"Different kind of guy in a different era."
"Indeed."