"Of the shifting loyalties fame."
"Give me one name in our politics that has not changed with the changing times. I mean let's be honest, even President Musharraf resisted being retired and it was Mian Sahib's decision to retire him that led to the coup."
"But Mian Sahib did it so stupidly."
"Well, that was the way Mughals behaved remember his obsession with Mughals."
"Yes, but Mughals ruled the entire sub-continent and some of them ruled well."
"But they did have their quirks and their harems and their..."
"Yes, besides I wouldn't have thought Mian Sahib was a Babar or a Humayun - probably one of the tail enders of the period more like it."
"Anyway, it is Sir Sheikh who said that all the people involved in attempts on the President's life have been apprehended but the masterminds are still out there. If the masterminds are Osama and al-Zawhiri, which was earlier claimed, then they have to stand in line well behind the Americans."
"That should be too difficult for our government. But didn't all those involved die in the blast. I mean wasn't it a suicide blast?"
"Maybe he got their families or something I don't know - I am just telling you what the guy said."
"But of course there must have been some others who planned it and then there were those who carried it out."
"Yes I think so. But you know we never ever used to have suicide bombers before. I mean we had ethnic violence and sectarian massacres but never suicide bombers."
"Each leader that we have had has left us the people some legacy. Zia had the obscurantists to keep him happy. BB raised the antes in terms of, shall we say, state finances. Mian Sahib followed but then got involved in the constitution as all Mughals did and we have Musharraf and his suicide bombers. If you look carefully we, the people, have suffered because of all the legacies they left behind or are in the process of leaving behind."
"Why don't they deal with the situation?"
"Musharraf has said he will ensure that not a single terrorist is left.."
"That's not going to change it - why doesn't he spend money on education. You know when Malaysia declared independence they spent about 14% of GDP on education and another substantial chunk on infrastructure."
"We need it for defence."
"Ah yes but now we have changed on Kashmir to the extent that the joint Musharraf-Vajpayee statement noted that Pakistan would not allow terrorism from our borders and there was nothing from their side - nothing about human rights abuses nothing so then what?"
"Then we need someone in the Jamali camp to challenge the President."
"Hey, they are there for the short haul - they aren't going to do it, but the Maulanas were rather disappointing in this."
"Indeed. But we all make compromises. Can the parliament unseat Musharraf now after giving him till 2007."
"Don't open an hornet's nest."