PEOPLE

Note: This is the sequel to my story titled 'GUL KHAN IS FALLING DOWN.'

GUL KHAN IS CLEAN BOWLED 

By: Nasser Yousaf 

Folks, there's bad news for Peshawar and its people on ft.com, or more precisely in UK's Financial Times newspaper. 

The report by Simon Clark in the Financial Times is an addendum to, and indeed substantial proof of, what is already known to most of us. What, however, was not known to us and our aunty is that the name of Peshawar also figured in the mega scandal surrounding Imran Niazi's brand of politics, and not in the kindest of words. 

Simon has reported that one of the ways through which funds were collected for Imran Niazi's Pakistan Tehreek Insaaf (PTI) by his closest buddy Arif Naqvi was holding of cricket matches. The fun-filled matches were played under the umbrella 🌂 of Naqvi's Wootton Cricket Limited at his sprawling estate in London. 

In fact, these were cricket 🏏 matches less and unabashed bacchanalian rites more in which wine 🍷 women and intoxicants of all kinds flowed freely. Cricket, once a sport associated with gentlemanly behaviour, occupied backstage as indulgence of all types including ball-tampering was legal tender.

Anybody wishing to watch, and be a part of the orgies, had to pay a handsome amount of up to 2500 pounds. 

In a bizarre twist to the gentlemanly sport, the names of the competing teams were concocted in a manner so as to make the event sound the sleaziest best. For instance, one such match was played between two teams one of which was named Faisalabad (suffixed with an expletive) while the other was called Peshawar Pervert. 

Anybody following Imran's lifestyle, politics and dealings of all types knows that he is given to biting the hand that feeds him. And here's a best proof of that. Peshawar, which catapulted Imran to the power corridors, couldn't have asked for a better reward than be introduced to the outside world as 'pervert.' 

In fact, Imran had already bestowed favours on the people of Peshawar when he made no secret of his love for the Taliban. As Prime Minister, he welcomed the return of Taliban to Afghanistan by saying that the people of Afghanistan had broken the chains of slavery. 

If the people of Peshawar still continue to love Imran then what can one do but sympathise with them, and indeed agree with how Mr. Niazi treats and regards his benefactors.