“Do you know what is the overarching focus on our airwaves?”

“Our fatalities on the 16 March attack by the Taliban and a stern looking President Zardari.”

“Sorry to cut in but what’s with the stern looking?”

“Zardari sahib has the best teeth in town amongst his age group, hell even better than those twenty to thirty years younger, and he has always displayed them a minimum of two times even if his interaction with the media is no more than half a minute, but he delivered the stern message with a…. matching stern look.”

“The Maulana went to Kabul on 15 January this year and after that visit there was a lull in the attacks on Pakistan from the Pakistani Taliban so the deal he made, or such is the perception here, which was never made public, is that it is no longer effectively in force. My question: why has the deal fallen by the wayside?”

“The Taliban are known to keep their pledges for as long as it takes for them to regroup and rearm and…why did you give a sigh of relief!”

“Because the grapevine in the capital is that as The Maulana is not happy with the current set up he may…may…may, I ain’t saying no more.”

“First, don’t forget the Kashmir committee is not yet operational, so there is that, and second don’t forget if the PML-N Gujranwala losing candidate can win after re-counting of votes then The Maulana’s son surely can.”

“That reminds me, what was Ishaq Dar doing as the President and the Chief of Army Staff gave their shoulder to the coffin of martyred Lt Col Syed Kashif Ali?”

“Sitting in the Foreign Office.”

“Nope he was at the funeral, I saw a glimpse of him though if truth be known all cameras’ focus on his visage is kinda fleeting these days as opposed to in the past.”

“Are you sure he was at the funeral?”

“I am sure.”

“Hmmm, I thought his term of reference was to monitor Shehbaz Sharif not Zardari sahib — I mean Zardsrisb would need someone a lot more alert.”

“But if Zardari sahib is at an event with the Chief of Army Staff?”

“It’s not as if they are going to let Dar over hear anything they don’t want him to overhear.”

“Well they needn’t worry – ever since he gained weight I hear his hearing is no more than 35 percent!”

“Don’t be facetious.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024