Tongue in cheek
Despite the lack of encouragement, to put it mildly, the truth must be told. Re The Boyz. And this may be more gup than such, but it’s doing the rounds. First, the question Pakistan’s haute officer class is asking, tongue in cheek, these days is: “Are you with Pindi or Peshawar?” As we well know, most officials are happy to do nothing, say nothing, see nothing, hear nothing these days, lest it become an embarrassment for them in the following weeks and months. But depending on the task at hand, the Pindi or Peshawar conundrum is a very real one. BTW, most officials answer “Pindi” in reply to the question but for how long will they continue to cleave to the bosom of power, if indeed it is seen to be shifting?
Keeping options open
And then there was that meeting. Our mole says the gent who was recently moved to Peshawar, sought a meeting with one of The Man of Steel’s top stalwarts in the frontier regions. The stalwart went along, and the meeting was on the face of it, just a good will gesture but he immediately went and informed his leader. The Man of Steel apparently advised his frontier stalwart to leak the news and that’s when the ess hit the fan. Not only was No 1 cheesed off with this “unauthorised” meeting we hear, but The Great Khan wasn’t too pleased either. “Whose side are you on?” was a question that must have come to The Great Khan’s mind, and it’s moot whether he asked it or not, but since then we hear, Her Holiness has extended the hand of mentorship to another one of The Boyz, to keep options open, if you get our drift.
Congregation of heavy weights
Meanwhile, the goss is that many political heavyweights are congregating in London, and for obvious reasons apparently. God knows if The Man of Steel is giving them the time of day but hopes are up and something seems to be afoot. We hear the late lamented Big Ben’s sis-in-law is awaiting her turn to meet The Man of Steel – is she carrying a message from her bro? – while some members of The Man’s party are denying this vociferously, saying the optics of such a meeting would be all wrong. Ditto in the case of Naya Pakistan’s most famous sugar baron who has fallen from the pedestal set up not long ago by The Great Khan himself. He too, apparently, is waiting to meet The Man and offer his services. Not to be left behind is one of the most influential politicos of Southern Punjab, who is ensconced just a stone’s throw away from The Man of Steel’s home and rumour has it that the two have had a very cordial meeting.
Work in progress
All the above is now a work in progress, they say, and the million, nay billion, dollar question is: when oh when is the brotherly mission from our Gulf brethren returning to Pindi to seal the deal?
