Thirty years hence when Washingtons de-classified archives would fall into the hands of investigative journalists, they would find a document in the shape of an MoU signed by Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif, Pervaiz Musharraf, Asfandyar Wali Khan and Altaf Hussain of MQM, duly witnessed by some functionary of the USA and guaranteed by a Middle Eastern power. The agreement was designed to provide civilian faade to Musharrafs tottering military regime by selecting (and not electing) Benazir Bhutto as the next Prime Minister as she had assured Washington of her 'utility in that position. Unlike her, Nawaz Sharif was not acceptable despite commanding a two-thirds majority in Parliament at the time of his deposition for the fear of reprisals. So the document would probably show him being offered the Punjab Chief Ministership with a truncated majority (not enough to form a government) to keep him in line with the 'arrangement. To make people to accept the change, a calibrated election (apportionment of seats determined on sidelines wherein Chaudhry Shujaats PML-Q was also guaranteed 63 seats) must have been assumed to be stage-managed, as it eventually was. In the event, Musharraf safeguarded his position by arranging elections in such a manner that no political party could form a government either at the Centre or at provincial level without coalescing with other party despite their mutually antagonistic positions and programs. On Benazirs death, the arrangement was only changed some bit through an uncertified and unnatural will to bring to the throne her widower who was neither born great nor among those who achieve greatness at any time in their lives. Parasitical existence with decrepit qualification of eight years incarceration (on charges of accumulation of ill-gotten wealth) were offset by his immensely useful relations with one Zalmay Khalilzade, the US pointman in the Middle East region and Asif All Zardari was elevated to the highest office of Pakistan. -NAEEM SULTAN BUTT, Islamabad, June 15.