It's Iftaar time again

 To strike a fraternal chord with Muslim brethren he will declare the iftaar party season open in Syria where he arrives tomorrow. He will break the Ramzan fast at 4.53 pm the day after along with Syrian President Bashar al Assad at a glittering banquet, setting the trend for a frenetic bout of eating meat (a vegetarian iftaar is an unknown animal, meant only for politically correct wimps), drinking sherbet, and doing frantic politics back home.

 Iftaar parties have an added edge this year because of Assembly elections and are likely to reach a crescendo, as the campaigns hot up, to coincide with Id on November 26, a week before the elections.

 The original iftaar expert, Mulayam Singh Yadav, is still to decide when to hold his iftaar