The Great Mughal
Mr Beane hear the namesake of the first Mughal emperor was given short shrift when he resisted The Great Khan’s command to quit, because the Mughal has an outstanding issue with the NABbers. Logic would’ve dictated that he not be named to the cabinet in the first place but The Khan is a law unto himself and can take U Turns when he pleases. So, when it became clear that the Mughal was a no-no, The Khan asked his henchman to do the needful. The Mughal turned a deaf ear. Finally, he was called to Bunny Gala and given his marching orders in front of many party stalwarts.
Rumour has it that although Mr Bean has won a berth in the Punjab, he hasn’t turned up to claim his seat. This may be, they say, because he is in negotiations with The Great Khan for his ticket to the National Assembly. Whatever the truth, Mr Bean is caught between his friendship with The Man of Steel’s Talented Bro and his old Aitchisonian ties with The Great Khan.
Take your pick
In Karachi, a senior Chinese academic and head of a state-affiliated think tank, told a group of influentials that his country may not be able to deliver on its CPEC commitments this year due to economic pressures on its reserves, ostensibly triggered by its trade war with the US. Or is this really because China does not want to subject itself to the transparency that an IMF Pakistan program may call for? Or then again, is it because of our recent bravado on how we are looking to suspend CPEC until Terms & Conditions are reassessed? Whatever the truth, we are caught in the crosshairs of US-China rivalry. So, on the one hand there’s the US-blessed IMF, with attendant conditionalities. On the other, the Chinese, who take over revenue generating institutions when beneficiary countries default on debt repayment, eg Zambia’s main airport, Sri Lanka’s main shipping port etc. Take your pick!