FM laughs, says joke’s on Pakistan

Chandigarh, Nov. 28: Evidently amused with the attitude and pace of Pakistan’s investigations into the Mumbai terror strikes, the finance minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, finds it hilarious that it too k Pakistani investigators a whole year to find that their President had been pranked.

Taking a moment from the more serious business of tackling recession, the finance minister gave in to a visibly hearty laugh on being asked to comment on Omar Saeed Sheikh’s nearly successful impersonation wherein the terrorist called the Pakistan President, Mr Asif Ali Zardari, and the Army Chief, Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, posing as Mr Mukherjee, who was then India’s foreign minister.

“This can normally never happen as all calls between governments must be properly verified before they are put through,” said the finance minister most amused that a call originating from inside Pakistan’s Hyderabad Jail had actually been put through to the President of the country.

Mr Mukherjee, playing down the incident, rather pointedly observed that the incident had occurred “a whole year ago.”