“So what’s new?” “The Khan needs another opening batsman cause Notification Maryam Nawaz (NMN) has gone off to Saudi Arabia to be with daddy who was invited by the Saudi royal family to spend the last ten days of Ramadan…”

“Well I would like to say for the record that the Sharif family gets invited every Ramazan for the last ten days of Ramazan by the royal family and in response to your observation perhaps The Khan doesn’t need any other opening batsmen because NMNs viral video that is doing the rounds on social media as well as some television channels would be more than ample for the next ten days…”

“That’s so unfair. I mean there is a need to issue yet another notification on prohibiting interviewers from asking NMN questions that relate to the expensive gifts she received and then sold – it’s tantamount to harassment of women who hold no public office…”

“You know I used to wonder why The Third Wife always accompanied The Khan on his trips to oil rich Arab countries. Anyway I don’t think The Khan was aware of NMN’s gifts and their sale was he?”

“Apparently neither was NMN though it appeared in her tax returns…”

“I bet you Ishaq Dar filed those returns. I mean can’t the guy do anything right? He revealed details, I mean minute details, of the money he laundered for daddy and it’s only thanks to the times when the Sharifs are in power that he gets a clean chit from the courts……”

“Anyway there is NMN and then there is the Man Who Shall Remain Nameless who has made remarks about Babar Azam’s captaincy, I mean what is the guy’s basis of assessing…”

“He is a sharif man…”

“As in gentle or as in Sharif man?”

“If you have to ask that question then you might as well emigrate and send some dollars back home.”

“That reminds me remittances have reached a seven month high, so times are getting better.”

“Thank you IMF.”

“How dare you?!”

“Seven months ago Dar took over the Ministry and proceeded to take one flawed decision after another, including controlling the external rupee rate without adequate foreign exchange reserves to prop it up, and viola a grey market surfaced which led to a massive decline in remittance inflows through official channels. It was the Fund that forced him to abandon this policy end-January which may account for a rise in remittances.”

“Hmmm, I will hold my horses till a notification is issued.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023