Nothing Permanent & Nothing Personal

William Clay said, “This is quite a game, politics. There are no permanent enemies, and no permanent friends, only permanent interests.”

Don Vito Corleone said, “Keep your friends close, but enemies closer.”

Nicolo Machiavelli wrote a whole book ‘The Prince’ on this topic. This all is nothing personal, strictly business.

So, opponents of Khan must be rejoicing at the moment that he has taken a U-turn regarding Chaudhary. Same can be said for PMLN who are friends with PPP at the moment and vice versa. All these parties, including all their individual parliamentarians, have done something similar in past.

Changing parties.
Changing friends.
Changing enemies.

And it’s ok.

The thing is an ideology should be there to stand intact. And yes, our political parties and their men don’t have an ideology. A little difference in shade, and they are exactly the same. That’s the ugly problem.

Jinnah had an ideology. He was in Congress. Then he became ambassador of Hindu-Muslim Unity and stood with both Congress and Mulsim League. Then he bycotted both during Non-cooperation Movement. Then he stood with Muslim League for Muslim Representation in United India. And then, way down the line of history, he opted for Pakistan. Can you lable him with U-turns too? NO.

All this while he had AN IDEOLOGY. He had a VISION and he stood – with others or without others – for that ideology only. He even left politics of India and went to England because his ideology was in contrast to the political environment at home.

Sadly, we don’t have a single ideological leader today.

I – His Highness – will stand with anyone for civil supremacy, equal rights, democracy, and rule of law. I am anti-establishment and anti-milbus to the core. That’s all. For that, I will stand – or sit – with anyone down the road.

Now crossing the floor; which is also acceptable. Pretty much allowed by the constitution. Winston Churchill had also benefited from this practice. You cannot label it bad or good just because of your bias.

When Tareen was gathering these ducks in plane, it had a meaning for you. Today, it is disgraceful. No. It’s actually the same thing and only your bias is making it painful. Again, it’s pretty much constitutional. Change it, amend it, or bear it.

That’s pretty much it. Jokes apart, Khan didn’t do wrong in appointing Chaudhary as the next candidate for Punjab, because it’s politics. Chaudhary will remain a vomit nonetheless, who has been vomited in reverse by all the political parties.

U-turns have been taken by all. Khan just has to swallow a lot more because he speaks a lot and that’s because ‘speaking’ is his Unique Selling Point (USP). He called people to Islamabad for Trump Card and offered them nothing, yet crowd went home happily.

One sad thing though is Khan’s ego. He had a majority in both provincial assemblies of KPK and Punjab. And just to sit on PM’s seat in Federal, he is messing two giant provincial governments as well. His ego is one major reason that PTI is crubming in provinces.

Lastly – really – these are puppets without an ideology or a vision. A new combo is made by military after every decade, which is a mixture of different combos, to fight the previous combo, for interests of military business.

Bhutto came through the door of Ayub. Nawaz and MQM through Zia. Chaudries through Musharraf. And Khan through Pasha and Faiz. None of these combinations were democratic or civil. None of them. Those who stood against this practice – like Fatima Jinnah – were insulted, disgraced and eliminated.

The new setup will also be a combo of current defaulters. And you will be sitting in front of your television justifying the new odds of the same old ducklings.

Enjoy the show. The casting is shitty but the content is captivating. You wake-up to something stupid everyday. What else you want in life? Democracy?

Clowns for Clowns

If you are supporting any political party right now – be it PTI, PPP, PMLN, PLMQ, MQM, JUF or TLP – you are more into submission than into conscientiousness.

His Highness is for civil supremacy; be it any form attained through parliamentary politics. Anti-establishment and anti-milbus. And none of these parties are up to this.

All these parties have changed their stances 180 degrees various times. Right now, they are all licking boots and vomiting in reverse and blaming each other for exactly the same thing.

They have no ideology except to come into power.
They have no manifesto.
They have nothing to offer except swapping faces.
They have nothing except overused ideas and slogans.

This is an embarrassing situation. It’s a lose-lose.

Whatever the outcome, public will be the loser. Including those dancing on roads and trucks at the moment.

Clowns for clowns.

All In One… Boot

Ok! We have seen so much and so many lickers since the beginning, but Shahbaz Sharif is defining a new low. Very low low.

Remember Faisal Vawda? He brought a boot in a TV show and placed it on the table. Like it’s the constitution. Which it is. Is it? It is. And that was perhaps the finest ever political demo. Truly.

But Shahbaz is another aura in himself. He kept licking even when his whole party was revolutionizing civil supremacy and vote ko izzat do. He remained calm and kept his tongue out.

And now everyone is Ok. No one is even uttering “selected” anymore. Frustration has taken them all by the balls. The giant balls of fear. Including Khan who is desperate to be selected again and is defining ‘neutral’ again and again everyday.

Zardari and his PPP are not even mumbling. Maryam is targeting Khan cleanly without ‘Faiz’ and ‘Bajwa’. And Nawaz, well, who cares for civil supremacy when you can see your ass back in the PM House?

Ali Wazir is in prison. Ok. No problem.
Baloch students are protesting in Islamabad for weeks. Ok. Who cares?
Missing people and mutilated dead-bodies. Ok. So?
Balochistan!
Military involvement in all civil departments!
DHAs and Cantts!
Ok. None of these matter anymore.

Everything is Ok. There’s no issue right now except government for opposition and opposition for government.

And the Chief Boy is lecturing us. He went to LUMS. Was candid. Could have been more candid in so many other places but Ok. He was even trying to be candid on 23rd March goosebumps’ day. Ok.

But lecturing? No! The boy has been ruling the country – yes – since 2016 and is looking for a 2nd extension; probably till 2025. Yet, he is cadidly lecturing the nation that people keep on bringing the same people in the parliament.

No. We don’t bring them.

And politically speaking, you are the only face intact since 2016. Infact, there have been only 4 Chiefs in the last 24 years. And only 10 since the Rise of Dhaka.

But ok. That’s not the point. The point is hypocrisy. This whole drama is not about Khan or Nawaz or Zardari. It’s all about the next Chief.

One more thing that isn’t ok is the religion card. The Prime Minister is playing with fire in a country which has burned for decades because the state used religion for vested interests. For wars. For Jihad. For politics. For political supremacy. Even the chief used the religion when he thought he could lose.

Yet religion pays here. With blood and bodies and funds and power. Because it is accepted the way preacher preaches. And preachers have their own games and agendas. There is one whole political party, with third highest votes in last General Elections, which flourishes on hate and discrimination based on relgion. Hate and discrimination based on relgion! How ironic!

Too broad. Yet too clear. To the point. Every dot is connected and whole serial at display is without any climax. Climax? Hasn’t it been too long already? Puppets in Islamabad and puppeteers in Pindi.

Your conscience, should you choose to accept it, … this message will self-destruct in five seconds. Don’t worry. You are too stupid to carry-on anyway.

The Pain in Expats’ Arse

The pain of expats is pretty hypocritical.

While looking for stable economies abroad, their hearts melt for a rocky economy at home.

While praying and voting for liberal democrats abroad, they hope for conservative rightists at home.

While offering prayers in mosques in west, they know nothing about state’s attitude towards minorities at home.

While moving in uncensored cultures abroad, they want blasphemy to prevail at home.

While trying to keep religion away from politics abroad, they look for religious references of politicians at home.

While opting for being a second class citizen abroad, they keep mentioning the intellect of first class citizens at home.

While they do everything to evade taxes abroad, they are disgruntled when people avoid taxes at home.

Ask them if they’ll come back to work home? Absolutely not. Their opinions don’t matter abroad, so they become opinionated for things at home for which they are not even stakeholders. Except for currency exchange rates which are pretty much in their favor.

Actually, it’s a confusion between home and abroad. Your abroad is your home and let the actual homies decide for their home. Not your home. Don’t cry your heart out when you ran away long time ago. You left this stage.

You can have an opinion for sure. But you cannot have an opinion for the masses who are actually living and suffering at home who you simply label with words.

It’s pretty much like the domestic affairs where kids who leave their old folks alone are more worried and concerned. The kid actually living with the parents suffer with the blames, physical efforts, worries, and daily errands; while the kids abroad make a video call and are done with their duties.

It’s easier to be a judgemental idiot. Stop poking your nose where you don’t matter.