“I was thinking who I would have as a cabinet member in a national government.”
“That would be an inane exercise at this time when all, parties and individuals alike, are firmly, and I must emphasize this, firmly entrenched in their respective portfolios.”
“Except one party….”
“Hey as they say exceptions are fundamental to legislation because it allows adaptation to complex real world situations.”
“But surely, except for party leaders, all other politicians strive for better portfolios….”
“Like from Finance to Deputy Prime Minister.”
“Ambition….”
“Ambition so goes the proverb is the last refuge of failure.”
“Stop it right there. Long and dedicated service to Nawaz Sharif must be rewarded, shouldn’t it? I mean Khawaja Asif needs an upgrade as badly as…as…perhaps more than I do when I am travelling economy.”
“You won’t need that upgrade anytime soon because flights are being slashed due to jet fuel supply shortages as a consequence of the Middle East conflict.”
“I have a suggestion – give the Defence portfolio to….”
“Not happening — The Khawaja wrote on X, which as you know is Elon Musk’s baby, anyway he called for the complete annihilation of Israel, or words to that effect but quickly deleted his post when world condemnation….”
“Hey President Trump wrote that he would bombard the Iranian civilization out of existence!”
“What is good for the goose is not good for the gander.”
“Or in this case what is not good for the goose is good for the gander.”
“Excuse me?”
“Between President Trump and The Khawaja who do you think is the gander?”
“Oh I see anyway I have heard that The Khawaja would be happy to get the portfolio of Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board….”
“That explains the Defence portfolio!”
“The portfolio has the fanciest file cover – I heard it is gold and black but no papers inside.”
“Right, but I thought the two best foreign ministers we have had are the now deceased Sahibzada Yaqub, a three-star general, and Bilawal Bhutto….”
“A no star general.”
“General or not, all must hitch one’s wagon to a star.”
“True but some of us err on the side of thinking a meteorite is a star.”
“To distinguish between a meteorite and a star is way above our pay grade.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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