The great betrayal

Not learning any lesson from the traumatic experience of 1971, the successive military and civilian governments also failed to regenerate and revitalise the nation and put it on the path of progress and prosperity. On the contrary, the country further slipped into the quagmire of instability, massive corruption, rampant violence and ethnic and sectarian strife. In recent years, the unabashed plunder of the nation's wealth by the ruling elite and their families and cronies, combined with gross financial mismanagement and undemocratic style of governance, once again, brought the country to the brink of instability and economic collapse.

After completing 60 years of its life, Pakistan still finds itself in yet another great crisis, which is threatening the country's very existence. Army is fighting a full-fledged war against Taliban in NWFP at the cost of human lives and untold misery to thousands of innocent men, women and children.

This is in fact a proxy war for the United States for which it is paying billions of dollars to Pakistan for its services. This fiasco may result in the capture of NWFP by the Taliban. God forbid if this happens, it will be the second dismemberment of Pakistan after the breaking away of its eastern wing.

Mr Musharraf under intense pressure from the US, grudgingly held general elections hoping that his party of sycophants (PML-Q) would win landslide victory. How could it. Its incompetent government had failed to control the worsening law and order situation, daily suicidal attacks by extremists, unbelievable rise in the cost of living, rapid escalation in food inflation, so much so that the poor could not afford to buy atta or rice to feed themselves. The rich were getting richer, while the poor were getting dirt poor and going hungry. Such situations in history have always led to revolutions in many countries.