What price loyalty!

by Khurshid Anwer

Gen Kayani in a moment of weakness did the unthinkable, criticize Rahman Malik. The president in the hearing of all shouted, “How dare you, don’t you know he is my right hand man for all shady deals. Now come and see how I single him out for high praise (despite the risk of spontaneous laughter).

Similarly Mian Nawaz Sharif was injudicious enough to criticize Babar Awan, of the Punjab Bank fame. Here again the president came to the rescue, “How dare you, don’t you know he is Faustus to my Devil, he has sold his soul to me. He will not let even his religious piety stand in his way in service to me. He will lie hands down on Surrey Palace***. He will lie hand down on Swiss Cases. He will lie hands up under oath. He is a man after my heart. I wish I could invite you to show you how I will single him out for high praise.

*** Babar Awan crowed not many years ago that the government has not been able to produce proof of corrupt money being involved in the purchase of Surrey Palace. Meaning thereby that the purchase was kosher. Now that NAB has denied the existence of the Surrey Palace, is Babar Awan prepared to say under oath that Surrey Palace was not bought at all, black money or white money.

However there was one notable exception in the praise department. Ambassador Raisani of Syria has been faithfully following in the footsteps of Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto and Zardari Bhutto in employing relatives in lucrative government jobs and paying them top dollar. Surely he is due for some praise. Since he is also coming in for a lot of stick for rank nepotism. Perhaps he will be compensated with another school to employ his remaining relatives, and cronies if he runs out of relatives.

Let us see when this game of Kramer Vs Kramer started. This was when Bhutto was trying to woo over the awam:

tu mera chand mein teri chandni hooo hoho hoho ho

nahin dil ka lagana koi dil-lagi, koi dil-lagi

Of course politics is a serious business.

A engineering college friend was appointed MD of Lahore Foundaries by Dr Mubashar Hasan, the then finance minister who had also been our professor at the engineering college.

Very soon, against his protests, he was forced to employ dozens upon dozens of jialas against non-existent vacancies. The Balance Sheet soon went into red:

There was nothing right on the left, and nothing left on the right.

He was then asked to fudge the figures because it was not be shown that Bhutto Saabs nationalization was playing havoc with the industry all over the country. There was an epidemic of sick industries.

My friend resigned, became a heart patient, left PPP and joined Muslim League.

This is for those who still think Bhutto did not destroy Pakistan’s industry.