White Lies

These sit-ins must have run into some money. Not just the Islamabad gatherings, but PTI taking to the road again; Karachi, Lahore, Mianwali, with more to follow. There is much speculation. Some of the more informed N-leaguers will tell you the dharna container whips up a 10 crore rupee bill every time it is put on show. But PTI sources, being more circumspect, restore some sanity to the conjectures. You see the Lahoris are a unique breed. And generous as they are, many make selfless contributions every time the container is in town. So the bill for Lahore was actually a paltry two crore, and Karachi only 50 lacs. The DHA protest at Lalik Chowk, too, has a mysterious duo of benefactors. Word has it that two committed sisters are footing that bill. So the rumour mill exaggerates, as usual. It’s not much strain on the PTI kitty after all.

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So Gen Musharraf has been busy again. Strange how pressure on the government eased some pressure off of him, really. He’s moving about, giving interviews again, even addressing party members, like he did before he came back for the election. One such talk took place recently in Karachi, where the city’s affluent class gathered to chalk out a strategy for the future. It was an elegant setting, hosted by a former model, no less. And they didn’t just talk about Pakistan’s problems. They also worked out a skeleton of things to come. It seems there was much talk about a viable setup, and how there would be a prominent role for the army. And interestingly, there was also some novel talk about how there would be no provinces.