PARTLY FACETIOUS: Maryam looked relaxed and dutiful next to her dad

“What did you think of The Father, the Daughter and their grasp of basic economics?” “How many notifications does it take to appoint the Punjab Chief Minister?”

“Is that your spin-off from the song how many cannonballs must fly before they are forever banned.”

“Well if it’s Israel throwing the latest version of cannonballs then never.”

“Nope that’s not what I was referring to, I have given up on US administrations, whatever their colour, of looking at whatever Israel does with anything but rose-tinted glasses.”

“Blinken the ineffectual is back in the region talking to Israel while the other party to the conflict Hamas designated as a terrorist organization……”

“Yeah, yeah, contradictions galore…speaking of ineffectual The Greedy for Portfolios Samdhi (GPS) chaired a meeting on the petroleum sector and directed the relevant ministry to amend the OGRA ordinance to pave the way for monthly or quarterly adjustments rather than bi-annual.”

“Well yes, irrespective of the vote of no confidence that the stakeholders and the people of this country have in his abilities, the fact remains that he will not…”

“Not be silenced?”

“No, not get multiple portfolios if the Sharifs are in power, but not being silence is good isn’t it. I mean, in a country where so many from so different walks of life have been silenced…”

“The GPS will not be silenced in insisting on a narrative that only he and his counterpart Samdhi believe, in all other matters there is silence and exile; but speaking of the counterpart the tiger, sher, contrary to his nature, emerged after being in hibernation for many months next to his adult offspring…”

“So what do you suggest, the party symbol should be changed from sher to a bear or…or…or…a fat tailed dwarf lemur which also hibernates…”

“Dear God, will you be respectful. Anyway, what I meant to say was that his re-emergence with his adult offspring sitting quietly by his side was not…not…”

“Animals as the Man Who Must Remain Nameless and Faceless said so eloquently train and let their offspring go their way as soon as they can manage for themselves and….”

“Don’t put words in his mouth – he never said that, he said animals are neutral, and The Tiger is not neutral and with age his teeth have dented which means others have to besides his offspring cannot yet manage on her own and…”

“Stop right now, my point was that reducing the electricity bill by 14 rupees per unit to those who consume between 201 and 500 units, a 45 billion rupees subsidy payable by the Punjab taxpayers, which I resent as it constitutes 15 percent of the province’s own resources which are nearly all indirect taxes whose incidence on the poor is greater than on the rich and…given that we are on a Fund programme would mean it would have to be approved by the Fund and if the Fund does not approve it then the country will not get the Board approval of the 7 billion dollars in the pipeline and the other bilaterals would not roll over……”

“Hello! Hello! There is no one listening. Look at the glass as half full – Notification Maryam Nawaz looked relaxed and dutiful next to her dad, attacked the MQM and the PPP government at the same time and Uncle Shehbaz not only appreciated what she had done but…”

“All in the family, right!”

“Right.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024