“The Man Who Shall Remain Nameless did the honourable thing by resigning.” “Shall or Must?” “Shall is in Lahore - the seat of Sharif power, Must has moved back to Bani Gala I hear.”

“Oh anyway resigning at the eleventh hour when it’s a foregone conclusion is hardly honourable.”

“Haven’t you heard of many a save from taking action at the eleventh hour?”

“Yes but remember a previous prime minister, three times previous…”

“Would you stop being so cryptic about it. Why not just name names.”

“I am on the same page these days, I hear for fresh air it is imperative…”

“Shush, anyway eleventh hour in a rescue bid is OK, rescue by…by…”

“I get it.”

“But leaving when you aren’t likely to see another night in the case of Man Who Shall Remain nameless with that portfolio because the term has expired and no one, not Notification Maryam Nawaz, not anybody is fighting to retain you...…”

“You are wrong technically – I mean the term expired on Tuesday so midnight Tuesday…”

“I stand corrected.”

“So when I talked of the three-time previous prime minister I was referring to Nawaz Sharif and he didn’t leave the Prime Minister’s House till the judgement.”

“That was not the eleventh hour technically, that was the doom hour.”

“Oh that’s right, and the Man Who Must Remain Nameless he also left the Prime Minister House not at the eleventh hour but at doom hour.”

“Doom hour?”

“Let me quote Abraham Lincoln who said I claim not to have controlled events but confess plainly that events have controlled me.”

“Ain’t a maxim that our party leaders know about or indeed are interested in.”

“Shahid Khaqan Abbasi left on time, Zardari sahib left on time, no eleventh or doom hour for them….”

“Nawaz Sharif always left on doom hour, so did his nemesis The Man Who Must Remain…”

“Alright, alright, Zardari sahib is a far better player in the game of thrones…”

“I agree.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023