PARTLY FACETIOUS: Why did Iran's President go to Lahore first?
'Why did he go to Lahore first?'
'Not for what you are thinking.'
'And what am I thinking!'
'That the Chief Minister of Punjab has graduated to receiving foreign dignitaries, or she is no longer a sophomore and is now a junior – see her tutor is now daddy and not Parveen Rashid…'
'Have you heard of defamation laws in this country!'
'One of the best in the world, I am told, but like others' implementation has yet to start.'
'What the hell do you mean? They have been passed by…'
'Name one person who has been convicted of defaming another, and this in spite of the daily evening shows that…'
'Right, right OK but anyway my point was that the Iranian President's trip was successful, they have set a10 billion-dollar trade target and…'
'I agree and let's hope that the Memoranda of Understanding translate into binding contracts, though I am not sure if the 10 billion dollars was a target or backed by MoUs…'
'Don't know, but we did support Iran after Israel attacked…'
'Indeed we did, but let me give the background before I pose a question to you. The Iran, Pakistan pipeline remains in abeyance…'
'Don't use that word, it is reminiscent of racist Modi in my mind…'
'Racist or anti-Muslim, anyway the US has severe sanctions imposed on Iran, so my question is unless the 10 billion dollars is all unofficial-smuggled trade how in the world can we circumvent American sanctions and wait…in case of secondary sanctions would we then have over 19 percent tariffs because President Trump doesn't like anyone to stand up to him.'
'I am not sure, but I was so glad to see Nawaz Sharif welcoming the Iranian President in Lahore, he looked healthy and what was with the scarf that was around his neck in this heat?'
'Maybe he wasn't well, but do you think by getting the Iranian President to land in Lahore first, the prime minister was kinda upstaged?'
'I don't think he minds, unless it was the Chief Minister of Punjab on her own welcoming a foreign dignitary…'
'Give up playing the devil's advocate, my friend – the line of succession has been established.'
'Now the party just has to formally legislate the merging of the Forms 45 and…'
'Shut up.'
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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