Daily Times

Prime Minister Imran Khan and his cabinet of buffoons have outlived their utility. While the Great Khan having studied in Oxford for his graduation, his history is like Baghdadi Qaeda that one was used to when initiated in learning of the language. When he talks of Riyasat-e-Madina he does not know what he meant. Similarly his knowledge of history is as rudimentary as it w as from a person who does not know about European History after Arch Duke Fernandez of Austria was assassinated sparking of off the World War II that Germany and Japan were neighbour and not poles apart. It is indeed, a matter of concern that the basic knowledge of history in most of PTI leaders is peripheral. Its worst victim is Pakistan’s founder Quaud-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah whose entire ideological moorings have been distorted, twisted, disgorged and given an altogether new interpretation. IK believes that MAJ was a fundamentalist like him and not a liberal and secular ideologue. This is much more in keeping with the interpretation of Jamaat-e-Islami’s leadership that insists in putting MAJ on a white stallion in an Arab dress with a sword in hand as the champion crusader of Islam. The bitter truth, however, is that despite Jamaat-e-Islami wiping anti-Quaid and anti-Muslim League literature from its records, its so-called scholars leave no stone unturned in distorting MAJ’s version of history. It is high time before such characters have excess into further disparaging history are stopped and their unhealthy designs are nipped in the bud.

Leaving history in their hands is like leaving razor sharp blade to wreck the havoc that one witnesses when one sees a monkey shaving the beard. Often it ends up in cutting the throat with nor remorse. This is what is visible when one sees PTI leaders attributing foolish notions to make their ends meet. Example being that of French Queen Marie Antoinette who is being attributed to advise starving Pakistani nation to eat cake when there is countrywide shortage of wheat floor.

Marie Antoinette was the last Queen of Bourbon France before the French Revolution. She was born an Archduchess of Austria and was the penultimate child and youngest daughter of Empress Maria Theresa and Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor. She became Dauphine of France in May 1770 at age 14 upon her marriage to Louis-Auguste, heir apparent to the French throne. On 10 May 1774, her husband ascended the throne as Louis XVI and she assumed the title Queen of France and Navarre, which she held until September 1791, when she became Queen of the French as the French Revolution proceeded, a title that she held until 21 September 1792. Marie Antoinette, Queen, was Executed in French Revolution

Queen of France before the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette (1755-93) is famous for being overthrown by revolutionaries and being publicly guillotined following the abolition of the monarchy. But how much do people know about her life? She was the last queen of France before the French Revolution took down the monarchy. Detestably nicknamed “Madame Déficit” by the public and her enemies at court, Marie Antoinette’s lavish lifestyle symbolized the unchecked extravagance of the French elite and led to her gruesome beheading. It took seven years for the future king and queen to consummate their marriage.

The phrase was first attributed to Marie Antoinette in 1789, supposedly having been uttered during one of the famines that occurred in France during the reign of her husband, Louis XVI. Upon being told that the people were suffering due to widespread bread shortages, the Queen is said to have replied, “Then let them eat brioche.” Although anti-monarchist revolutionaries never cited the anecdote during French Revolution, it acquired its status as a quotable quote after her execution.

Leaving history in their hands is like leaving razor sharp blade to wreck the havoc that one witnesses when one sees a monkey shaving the beard. Often it ends up in cutting the throat with no remorse

Marie Antoinette – the last Bourbon Queen of France could seize up things in their correct perspective. When French Revolution was knocking at Bastille doors, people protesting against various shortages of essential edible items, Queen was disturbed by the noise. She summoned the minister and asked him to explain the street rumpus. The minister said they are agitating to demand floor for bread and they were violently complaining over the shortage of floor to cook bread. The innocent Queen like our President who does not know why there is atacrisis, told her Minister-‘tell them-why can’t they eat cake instead of bread’- problem as per their wisdom was solved.

IK government is full of ministers as good as Marie Antoinette. First they advised the government to make money by exporting wheat to Afghanistan and Iran and when the country faced the crunch itself and shortage of floor hit every poor home, they decided to import wheat and flour-both of poor quality. Not only abysmal shortage hit the poor homes and price of a kilo of flour became beyond one’s reach i.e. Rs 70 per kg, government decided to rush to import flour irrespective of its quality.

Expert say next on the shortage agenda is shortage of sugar. It is already there, price per kilo has multiplied many folds but then main beneficiary is Imran Khan’s ATM MACHINE. He multiplied his wealth during Musharraf’s time when as Minister he exported sugar. Just as IK says when dollar price goes up, rates of essential items shoot. When there is investment there is bound to be prosperity in return, he believes.

Only Khan’s wheeler-dealers could do it when they had 4000 thousand tonne of wheat in abundance — it was all snuggled out. Like the innocence of Marie Antoinette, our President too does not know how and why of the ata crisis. Punjab-one believes is the worst hit. Flour mills, storage houses and shops have been broken into by the starving people and large quantities of floor bags are stolen every day. Punjab Chief Minister Buzdar Sahib is just sleeping over the issue.

While the ata situation is definitely very bad, it will be worst confounded when sugar shortage hits all out. Political situation too is worsening. Forward blocks are coming up to derail PTI government in Punjab. At 20 MPs of Punjab have decide to establish forward block. Prominent PMLQ Leader Monis Elahi says he feels PM Khan does not like him. The only silver ling is the broad agreement on the new Chief Election Commissioner.

The writer is former High Commissioner of Pakistan to UK and a veteran journalist