Thinking aloud
A PTI leader from KP called up a friend in the early hours of the morning-after. He had managed to win his seat despite some rough passages when he thought he was going to be wiped out. After the routine congratulatory messages were exchanged, his friend asked him to dilate on what lay ahead, for him and for his party, since the opposition to a man was crying foul murder.
The gent was remarkable calm and candid. “What’s the big deal”, he asked, “the 1990 elections were also rigged and Nawaz Sharif was the main benefactor. So now the boot is on the other foot. Give us a couple of years at least!”
On another front, the Man with a Hat is mulling whether to sit in opposition in Islamabad or try to stitch up a coalition government in Lahore. And The Man in Prison is wondering whether he did the right thing to bring the universe crashing on his head.
The common refrain is: “This too shall pass”!
Clarification
In the August 17-23, 2012 issue of The Friday Times, in the column SUCH GUP, captioned, "TIP OF THE ICEBERG," there appeared a short story conveying the impression as if Dr Faqir Hussain, then serving Registrar, Supreme Court of Pakistan, was the recipient of two houses as "largess" from Malik Riaz (Town Tycoon).
Having been hurt by the false accusation, Dr Faqir Hussaim resorted to legal recourse asserting therein that the two houses were purchased for valuable consideration. The Friday Times, being a responsible publication, reiterates that the published story was merely gupshup, or light humour, and did not in fact relate to Dr Faqir Hussain. In any case, The Friday Times regrets any hurt caused inadvertently to Dr Faqir Hussain and retracts the item.