Replete with irony
A recent situation was replete with irony, as readers will discover when they read on. Last month when The Great Khan launched his lashkars on our capital city, it was like a scourge of old descending on the sub-continent. And only in Pakistan could it have happened that a provincial government was invading its own federal government's territory!
Our mole says the situation teetered on the brink of mass violence for hours, particularly when the “Khyber Rifles” were stopped at the barricades constructed on the border between Punjab and Khyber. It was dark by now, and the Head Honcho of Khyber was leading the “Rifles”. On the other side, The Man of Steel’s Talented Bro and Mr Bean were sitting in the control room, overseeing their police action to stop the Khyber Rifles in their tracks. On the spot was also the top man of the Punjab police, directing the operation.
Strangely, but not unexpectedly, the police was receiving aggressive messages from “rogue elements” in the Establishment to lift the barricades and allow the Khyber Rifles entry to Punjab and onwards to Islamabad. However, wise to their games, Talented Bro and Mr Bean got the police to turn a deaf ear to these “orders” from on high and continued with their action to repulse the would-be invaders. Finally, in the face of the unrelenting Punjab Police, the “Khyber Rifles” turned tail and went back to their province.
The irony was that during Hubby’s rule back in the day, seven years ago, with Guv’s Rule imposed on the Punjab, The Man of Steel mounted a similar invasion. The then Guv, the late Salmaan Taseer had orders to prevent The Man and hordes from leaving Lahore en route to Isloo to reinstate the then Chief Justice. Unbeknownst to the government, the same “rogue elements” were sending aggressive orders to the police to allow the opposition to move freely. The then opposition (The Man etc) was of course in league with “rogues” to impose their own solution on a reluctant government. On that occasion, the Establishment’s “rogues” had their way but this time, it wasn’t so easy with a Punjabi PM in the driving seat and Gen Bob a lame duck.
Rahay naam Allah ka!