White Lies

A colourful evening, recently, at the Governor’s mansion in Lahore. The textile mills association had thrown its annual dinner there, where the textile barons were celebrating the recent GSP Plus exemptions that they have gotten.

There was to be an exhibition, a prize ceremony and then, a fashion show to highlight Pakistani products. Now, fashion shows are usually peopled by the glitterati and the young, hip crowd. When Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was the chief guest, was on his way to the venue, a hanger-on journalist (plenty of those in the Republic) advised him to stay away from the ceremony because it would be “fashionable.”

Not one to cross his conservative base, the premier turned around and his press team issued an ill health excuse.

*****

Failure is an orphan. Success has a thousand fathers. On the issue of the GSP Plus exemption, the governor Punjab was heard, at the function, taking credit for the deal. That he had been to Brussels to tip the odds in Pakistan’s favour.

Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan was also heard taking credit for it. So was finance minister Ishaq Dar.

What these fellows, and indeed the public, fails to realize is that such developments are the result of the efforts of successive governments. The trade and foreign affairs mandarins keep doing their thing till they finally get through the goalpost, belonging to whoever forms the government of that day.

*****

The Turkish prime minister’s visit to Lahore caused ripples in Lahore. Especially traffic ripples, where a large part of the city was choked shut. The premier was treated to a cultural show at Huzoori Bagh, where even the guests were prevented from entering the place. He was also treated at Aitcheson College, where a group of senior journalists was also there to cover the event; by the time they emerged from their room, they were informed the Turkish PM had left the venue.

Eyebrows were raised by the fact the guest was put up at the Raiwind estate. Was he a private guest of the prime minister or a state guest? If it was the latter, then why didn’t he stay at the State Guest House or the Governor’s House?