The grapevine
Now that The Great Khan is about to ascend the throne is Islamabad, there’s still confusion about who’s going to sit on Takht Lahore. Had SMQ not lost his provincial assembly seat, he would have been the strongest candidate for the most coveted political office in Pakistan, after the premiership. Rumour has it that he may still have a shot at it, after an elderly gentleman from the suburbs of Multan has been convinced to give up his provincial seat, and SMQ fights a successful by-election on his way to the Punjab Assembly. But that will take time.
Another candidate for Takht Lahore was an erstwhile, and effective, chief minister, namely the Chaudhry of Gujrat. Chaudhry Sahab was The Brass’s favoured candidate but The Great Khan vetoed the suggestion, saying that his Party would “break up” if after the Mother Of All Battles, Election 2018, a person from outside The Khan’s Horde became CM. The Chaudhry was then told that he would Speak for the House, cometh the hour. Some pundits are saying Chaudhry Sahab will still probably be the eminence grise operating from behind the scenes in the Punjab, given the bureaucracy’s comfort level with him.
Still, the final decision on Takht Lahore is awaited, and bookies (ahem) are taking bets on who it will be.
Simple or formal
Our mole in Isloo informs us that the contours of The Great Khan’s speech were formulated by the powers-that-be and that he earned brownie points by not veering from the script. We’ve also heard that a famous Lahori designer is busy putting the finishing touches on The Khan’s Sherwani, and that there are two points of view on his attire for The Day. Some advisors are telling The Khan to wear his trademark simple white shalwar kameez, and forget about the Sherwani. Others are insisting on a formal achkan. Let’s see.