"I heard Obama's farewell speech and I hope that our politicians take the time to listen to it and draw some lessons and..."

"Obama, the guy who sanctioned the killing of many innocent Pakistanis with drone strikes! And dismissed their deaths as collateral damage? Obama who declared that Raymond Davis, the murderer of two Pakistanis in broad daylight, was a diplomat even though he wasn't?"

"One must learn from one's friends and one must also learn from those whose decisions hurt us and..."

"Don't be sanctimonious besides our politicians are resistant to learning lessons from their own history leave alone others and you think they will learn lessons from those who are not even Pakistanis."

"Don't be facetious..."

"How many times has Mian sahib made the same mistakes? Take for example his relations with chiefs of army staff when he is prime minister, even with those he himself selected!"

"True, Mian sahib seems to forget that namak halali (loyalty) in appointing the chief of army staff has never generated the kind of loyalty that is generated say by his selection of a federal minister or head of the cricket board...."

"Hmmm, that's certainly true and Zardari sahib hasn't acknowledged that while the completion of his five years of rule was unprecedented in our recent history, yet his governance and need I say policies have lost the PPP considerable support around the country limiting the party's vote bank to interior Sindh and..."

"OK, granted and what about others? The Maulana and the Khan?"

"The Maulana's policies are continuing to pay off dividends so he reckons he doesn't need to learn any lessons, and I would advise the Khan to heed Obama's farewell words to the American people: 'When we write off the whole system as inevitably corrupt. And when we sit back and blame the leaders we elect without examining our own role in electing them'."

"Right and those who may think this doesn't apply let me remind them of the votes PPP lost in 2013 elections."

"Right, but with rigging and with institutions following the dictates of the Executive we need to strengthen them right. We need to...."

"Yes, but know that in a democracy the road is not one straight path, it meanders and in some instances doubles up on itself...."

"Nothing is irrevocable is what you mean?"

"Yes, except the laying of roads, and airports and energy houses and..."

"Right, but what would bring a more permanent change would be higher education levels, better health facilities, clean drinking water for all..."

"Agreed, but remember there is a lesson here too - Zardari sahib lost the cities where awareness and linkage of performance with voting is greater than in rural areas. So the lesson learned maybe is not to invest in education and..."

"Don't be facetious." -Business Recorder