WAR-war is over; talk-talk is happening in the subcontinent not between the two nucleararmed neighbours but with the world to our west. Indeed, each side has decided this is the best time to convince the rest how it is the real victim. And whether or not the world (and the US) is convinced, the real job is to convince those of us in India and Pakistan how hard the politicos are working, speaking English fluently, and winning over those who are worried about two nuclear powers being at loggerheads. But then, the game is about convincing the South Asians that world opinion is being shaped, even if it really isn`t. Even if the populace is or isn`t, the two prime ministers are surely convinced of their respective success.

On our side of the border, the prime minister is so thrilled that he is delivering speeches not only to his cabinet, but also at diplomatic events in Islamabad. Those who are listening are not just told about the details of the conflict and the brilliance of the planners at home and of Trump but also that Pakistan has avenged 1971. Six planes and half a country same to same.

There is a fear that he is going to become like the uncle who got dragged to a hunting trip by his cool friends about 40 years back, and has been telling the story since at every family wedding and Eid gathering. His excitement is shared by his cabinet ministers. The foreign minister, too, has given more than one press conference on the conflict while the defence minister is announcingforeign policy decisions thatthe rest of the government has yet to agree to. It`s quite like a family wedding where everyone is holding forth on what food the guests will be served other than the person who will be paying for it.

Those who are lower down the food chain (whether in government or the commentariat) steer clear of foreign policy but haven`t stopped telling us how popular the government hasbecome. There are assertions galore about how the `war` has led to a surge of popularity; and as emotions are running high and the monitoring is rather stringent, no one is going to ask about when and how the upswing happened in Balochistan, KP and Sindh. These are all silly questions and unpatriotic to boot, in the aftermath of a war, which is far from over.

In Punjab now, `all is well`, for the military and the government thwarted the Indian attack. The result of the recent by-election in Sialkot is proof of this, in case any doubting Thomas needed it.

Only the unpatriotic bunch wonders why the election was still a contest between the irrelevant PTI and the successful and popular N, and the latter won, despite its own government in the province, control over the police and the administration and the very fair and unbiased Election Commission.

But it is puzzling that Nawaz Sharif, who was the man behind the scenes from the planning to the diplomatic outreach to the major decisions about promotions flew off to Avenfield and London, even before the celebrations ended. And this before he has renewed political activities, promised to us multiple times, as frequently as governments have assured us of an economy that is `taraqqi ki rah pargamzan` (set on the path to prosperity). We wait in hope for both his return to politics and the country`s development. Though, the videos that have reached us from London do show that the N is still holding all-male dinner parties.

But that is not the only party stuck in a loop.

The PTI continues to grapple with the same old inner wrangling, agitation and protest. Imran Khan, having tried to get his chief minister more than once to lead a charge on Islamabad, has now decided to plan and manage it from jail. And what will happen once his second tier is banned from meeting him in the middle of the protests is just a silly question. All questions are silly, if they are notunpatriotic.But someone somewhere still wants to scare the PTI and that is why there are `leaks` once again about the trial of Faiz and how it is near completion. This bogeyman is spoken about only to send a message. As the success of the crypto policy is used to send a message. Different messages and to different quarters.

If only the big shots were the ones giving us messages. Not so anymore; even the Islamabad bar has joined the fray by welcoming the 27th constitutional amendment, which the government hasn`t even officially owned up to. But in its eagerness to please, the bar is simply acknowledging the gossip in Islamabad. Though, those of us who are far, far outside the favoured circles of the powers that be are in the dark about what the amendment will do. Will it simply take care of the pesky judges, if any still have the space to be pesky, or will it bring far more sweeping changes? We continue to gossip (rather than ask questions) though those in the know explain that this amendment will be unveiled once (and if) the Constitutional Bench in all its `wisdom` and legal knowhow returns the reserved seats to the rightful owners the parties in power.

But if the numbers in parliament are going to be easy to add up, it`s hard to explain why the interior minister is meeting the maulana.

Though, it does seem that in between these meetings, the revolutionary fervour of the JUI-F has died down. The maulana is no longer thundering here and there perhaps the weather is far too hot and he doesn`t want to add to the high temperatures.

It indeed is smooth sailing for those in power, till the budget. There is no doubt the government is sitting pretty even as the rest of us are bracing ourselves for the `prosperity` and the `relief` that awaits us this week.

The writer is a joumalist.