PARTLY FACETIOUS: The likely clean bowled dismissals

“So who is likely to be looking for a new job?”

“You referring to the impending vote of no confidence? As The Khan says wait for was it 28 March or 29 March?”

“Who will win do you reckon? I mean The Khan says all the three will be clean bowled with one ball….”

“Oh dear, did he say that?”

“Yes he did and…”

“But clean bowled means the wicket is down without the batter coming in contact with the ball, I would have thought The Khan would prefer leg before wicket with the possibility of maiming…”

“Don’t be facetious. You know clean bowled means out for the innings…”

“Are you by any chance referring to those PTI legislators ensconced in Sindh House? That they are going to be out only for the innings? And how long is the innings — I mean if The Khan dismisses them from the party then wouldn’t the President be bound to ask the Prime Minister to seek a vote of confidence because he would no longer have support of 172 MNAs.”

“Let’s just say that the waters - legal and constitutional — are very muddy and some form of a referee, note I did not use the word umpire…”

“You are being facetious, anyway when I asked who was looking for a new job I meant those whose term is expiring real soon. For example, Chairman National Accountability Bureau’s term expired and then he was how would you say it…legalized as the Chairman indefinitely through some amendments…”

“The Chairman I reckon will remain whether The Khan stays or not because he has shown beyond a shadow of doubt that he is more loyal than the king to the king.”

“Hmmmm, so if the king changes then so does his loyalty.”

“Precisely. Then there is the Governor State Bank whose term is expiring on 5 May this year…”

“I reckon he will be clean bowled by whoever is in the Finance Ministry — be it Tarin or Ismail or whoever.”

“What about the SBP amendment law granting autonomy to the SBP, is that likely to be reversed?”

“Nope, I don’t think so, it will remain on the books though I am sure you understand the difference between de facto and de jure – or in other words the ground reality will prevail and not the letter of the law.”

“As it does on so many, many aspects of public life in our land of the Pure.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022