Trust deficit
The meeting at Takht Lahore between Chory Shuj of Guj & Co, and The Great Khan seems to have gone off well, to all intents and purposes. But the real story is different. To begin at the beginning, there is an agreement between The Chories and The Great Khan dating back to post-elections 2018, brokered by You-Know-Who. According to this agreement, The Chories were handed control of the three Punjab districts from which they won elections – from appointment of district administration officials to development funds and government jobs. The quest for two federal ministries never materialized, and stayed limited to one. The pursuit of the greatest prize – Takht Lahore itself – also remained out of reach. To make matters worse, The Khan made no bones about his contempt for The Chories, and they in turn made their dislike pretty clear. The stalemate would have carried on had it not been for a nudge and a wink at The Great Khan, in the backdrop of the opposition’s challenge. Hence the meeting.
No sooner had The Great Khan exited The Chories’ lair, that both houses convened to discuss their real feelings. Chory Shuj of Guj, wise old man that he is, apparently told his assembled kinsmen and one parliamentary mate that The Khan “was not to be trusted”. They exchanged notes about his apparently changed demeanour, a far cry from the previous dismissive attitude, and were not fooled for a moment.
The Great Khan reportedly did exactly the same thing, and at the conclusion of his meeting, told his assistant that he was still convinced of his incompatibility with The Chories. We hear his attitude was one of utter cynicism, and made it clear that he would never have ventured into their domain had he not been urged to do so by his instructors. So there we have it – a complete trust deficit.
Iron fist
We hear The Great Khan & Co were prevented from clamping down on the Peshawar jalsa, lest it lead to violence and potential loss of life. But apparently the gloves are now off, as far as the Multan jalsa is concerned. The Khan is keen to display his iron fist, and the naysayers have apparently decided to let him have his way.
