The government has gone into a PR overdrive in relation to the budget. God knows they need to, given the mood of the street these days.
In one of these offensives, the government’s financial team made a joint appearance on a television program. Boss Hafeez Shaikh, revenue minister Hammad Azhar and FBR chief Shabbar Zaidi.
During the program, Zaidi received a message on his phone; one that amused him. He showed it to Hammad Azhar and not Hafeez Shaikh, who was visibly displeased at this inside joke that he wasn’t a part of.
Are we reading too much into this? In this government, one can never tell.
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Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, during his Pakistan visit, made it a point to go to Lahore. Analysts and even government officials were nonplussed. Why isn’t he doing his thing in Islamabad as the other visiting heads of state and government do? And the highest officials that he met in Lahore were the Governor and CM, both ‘powerless’, so to speak. So what was he doing there?
Well, it turned out to be nothing more than a nostalgic visit. His kids had gone to school in Lahore and he wanted to see the city one more time with his wife and kids.
Islamabad might be well and good for the official engagements but for Ghani, it would appear, “L’hore L’hore ae!”
