It is often said that fish is the last creature to know about the reality of water as it remains deeply immersed into it and very often the situation is similar for a people of a nation to perceive political realities objectively, as they take things for granted like the air one breathes. 'Business as usual' is the common perception. Bomb blasts happening every day, street crimes being the normal feature, people tend to get sensitised to the routine happenings. They get alarmed if the perceptions projecting doomsday scenario by writers abroad or analysts from within are projected through the print and electronic media. The usual defence mechanism is of 'denial'. Ah One of those conspiracy theories, which often shield them from seeing events dispassionately. There is also a breed which gets so influenced much too soon as to see their country falling apart - the chronic pessimists. When two extreme positions are taken, the reality often resides in the middle. How critical is the prevailing situation requires, sifting facts from fiction, identifying truth from propaganda and disinformation. There is a type of jaundiced perception in which Pakistan's existential predicament is being projected as if it was disintegrating into pieces; it is a failing state or even worse, already a failed one; an abode of terrorism and its tribal area infested with 'terrorists'. Fundamentalism, radicalism, extremism, fanaticism, nepotism, feudalism and over and above these, lack of rule of law and rampant corruption are the typical negative epithets being used to create a negative stereotype of the country. To isolate the targeted country from global support and depicting it as a threat to regional or global peace, is the ostensible objective of propaganda tirade, ubiquitously projected round the clock. If one were to collate hate propaganda against Pakistan, both from the West and our eastern neighbour - India - it would run into several volumes. For illustration, the malicious themes contained in the online article Creating an Arc of Crisis (January 22, 2009), issued by Global Research (an innocuous name generally used as Gray propaganda technique, so that the real source is not revealed). The objective is to create a state of paranoia, so that people get demoralised and ultimately succumb to what is inevitable. The central theme is that Pakistan being an unnatural state will be broken into parts. A strategy mingling facts with fictions has been used so that the credibility of the message is maintained. About the Lashkar-i-Taiba (LeT) it mentions: "It is important to identify what the LeT is and how it has operated historically. The group operates out of the disputed territories between India and Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir. It has close ties with the Pakistani ISI and is largely known for its use of suicide attacks. However, aside from its links to the ISI, it is also closely allied with the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. The LeT is even referred to as the 'most visible manifestation' of Al-Qaeda in India. It has branches across much of India, Pakistan and in Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, South East Asia, and the United Kingdom. It primarily gets its funding from Pakistani businessmen, the ISI and Saudi Arabia." About 9/11 attacks it is said that "a week prior to 9/11 Pakistan's ISI Chief visited USA and stayed till the operation was over. This chief of ISI (Lt General Mahmood Ahmad) had approved of wiring $100,000 to the lead hijacker Muhammad Atta, which was confirmed by FBI." The idea is to involve Pakistan's ISI in the Manhattan tragedy. The Asia Times Online (December 19, 2008) states: "There can be little doubts that beside sharing up the World's shattered economy and dealing with a potentially nuclear armed Iran, high on the list of priorities for the Barack Obama Administration will be the fear of meltdown in Pakistan sometime in 2009." In this context one can see why the crisis of imposition of Governor's Rule has been manipulated. If the idea is to destabilise Pakistan, the biggest province - Punjab - had to be polarised into factions and through street demonstrations and clashes, the economy to be further damaged. If 'peace' had been achieved in Swat, much to the dislike of USA and India, the province of Punjab has been subjected to political turmoil. The Governor of Punjab had been planted to destabilise the popular political party - the Muslim League (N). Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister have been disqualified by the judges appointed by Pervez Musharraf. The reaction is very severe for the politically motivated ouster of the popular leaders of the Punjab. There are, however, some western scholars who are relatively honest and objective in assessing Pakistan's present situation. Anatol Lieven, in his write-up Do No Harm published in the National Interest (Number 94, Mar/Apr 2008) about USA's involvement, he says: "By pushing for particular political outcomes, the United States does more harm than good to its own interests - because, to put it mildly, the United States is not popular in Pakistan today. And if it keeps meddling, America will strengthen Islamist radicalism and could even help push Pakistan towards disintegration. The United States urgently needs a new strategy. Washington must get over the idea that it can and should micromanage political outcomes in countries like Pakistan. Trying to produce governments that both uncritically accept all US security requests and also pass our democracy litmus test is hopeless given the fact that the overwhelming majority of voters in Pakistan are hostile to US strategy in the region." He further says: "Muslims reject Islamist appeals not because they are 'moderates' in the largely meaningless Western phrase, but because they are traditionalists, attached to local cults and practices, which the Islamists wish to abolish." The author firmly comments: "The army in Pakistan is the only effective modern and meritocratic institution. It is in fact more modern and meritocratic than most of Pakistan's democratic civilian politicians, whose beliefs and loyalties are generally centred on traditional family and clan allegiances, and who in many parts of Pakistan have an extremely autocratic attitude towards their tenants, followers and women. And, as long as the army sticks together, it will fight successfully to prevent both Islamist revolution and ethnic session." He remarked: "Aid to Pakistan should continue and even increase, since nothing is to be gained by helping create an economic crisis that can only serve the Islamist militants. There is great merit to Senator Joseph Biden's (D-DE) suggestion that aid needs to be directed away from the military and toward economic and infrastructure goals. Socio-economically, Pakistan remains influx." Therefore, all that talk of Balkanisation or nuclear weapons going into the hands of radicals is totally unfounded. Pakistan must not let the democratic set-up again get deranged. The President Zardari must respect the verdict of the people. Restoration of the chief justice who showed courage in not yielding to the military rulers' whimsical demands has stirred up people's sentiments in his favour. If he is not restored, a great political upheaval may wash off the present political set-up. Sagacity demands that the Provincial Assembly in Punjab should be allowed to function and the Governor's Rule must be lifted forthwith. It is remnant of martial law type of governance. Democracy if allowed to function shall be the palliative for all ailments. USA must relinquish the Bush's militarism and instead of spending huge funds for augmenting military operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan's tribal areas, Barack Obama must demonstrate change and adopt a policy of using these funds for the eradication of global poverty. USA has lost its popularity for invading countries. The Portuguese Nobel Laureate (1998, for literature) Jose Savamago posed a question: How many countries have military bases in USA and, in how many countries USA does not have bases? Obama must ponder. The writer is a political analyst. E-mail: fr786pak@isb.comsats.net.pk