Ghrair phirta ha liya yooh taray khat ko kay agor, Koi poochay kay ya kiya ha, to chhipayah na banay. (The stranger, not to be regarded as ones own, is going around with your letter in such an open manner. If someone were to ask what it was, even if he wanted to conceal the contents, he could not.) Mirza Asadullah Ghalib Who in the world of Urdu literature and poetry would not thank Mirza Ghalib for what he gave to us: the gift of lyrical poetry laced with love, tenderness, passion and, above all, our intrinsic humanity. Yet Ghalib is a poet of tragedy, bearing the burden of an increasingly unbearable civilisation and echoing its pains with marvellous concentration and cumulative effects. It is this gift and the struggle for endurance that makes Ghalib relevant to human existence forever. Metaphorically speaking, in the unbearable political landscape of present-day Pakistan, Dr Zulfiqar Mirza has emerged as a politician of tragedy full of meditative reverberations claiming a struggle for endurance and speaking of a national burden in a communicative articulation never experienced before in the nations lifetime. God forbid, to compare Zulfiqar Mirza (ZMirza) with Mirza Ghalib would be an unpardonable atrocity. But the point is that the doctor has succeeded in echoing this nations pains with marvellous concentration, cumulative effects and political skill highlighting this nation and its peoples tragic existence and their battle for survival against mounting odds. Thats where the metaphorical analogy becomes relevant. I cannot say what will happen to ZMirza. The chances are that he will be history soon perhaps, made an example for others not to betray friends perhaps, to rot behind iron bars or even once again join the ranks of cavalier politicians bent on ruling this nation. I cannot even say if all this was a staged drama, the unfolding of a carefully planned and written script. A charade? But what about ZMirzas political enterprise - rather, political initiative? Will its reverberations survive? Will its cumulative effects alter the political discourse in this country? Will mafia politics stop? Will murders stop? Will bhatta collections end? Will the underlying causes of our political abyss cease to exist? Will there be a careful self-reflection by the incumbent ruling elite on their political conduct? Will democratic governance improve? Will ethical norms in political governance take precedent over personal selfish interests? Will peace and stability prevail? Will we survive as a nation? No matter what happens next, ZMirza deserves a thanks for what he has done so far. He has exposed the hypocrisy implicit in our present political structure in our so-called democracy. Irrespective of what ZMirzas hidden agenda might be (and dont rule it out), he has demonstrated courage, boldness, and audacity in exposing the true nature of darkness that has besieged our contemporary political culture. He has pinpointed the culprits and challenged the status quo; ZMirza has spoken out like no one has dared to do before; he has equated the present state of affairs in the country with wretched politics; he has challenged the nation to fight back and seek justice, fairness and equality for all. Is that not what democracy is all about? The question is: Are we at the threshold of a better future? In my considered opinion, no - not until the nation prepares itself for a public trial and sets on a political discourse to purge the entire national political elite by a whirlwind political revolutionary movement in a snap election. The nation has enough evidence to discard the present rulers, lock, stock and barrel, and send them packing to face justice for their atrocities against people of this nation. What we need to understand as a nation is that the present ruling elite is a Mafioso outfit that considers politics as a craft to hold onto power to perpetuate its control over national affairs and maintain the socio-political-economic status quo indefinitely. Irrespective of ZMirzas hidden or real intentions, the fact is that the ruling elites hypocrisy and absolute lack of commitment to public welfare and ethical democratic norms is clearly exposed. If his acts are not a political charade, then undoubtedly it has been a brave political initiative that needs to be seized upon by the progressive political forces in the country that are opposed to the politics of status quo. As a nation, we need to comprehend the notion of historical inevitability - political conditions cannot stay like this forever: Either we fail and fall apart as a nation, or march on to transform our national destiny. But the important point is that the transformation of our destiny will not happen because of celestial intervention. It has to be planned and wilfully pursued: The entire nation has to be engaged in the process of making a peoples revolution, skilfully steered by ourselves without foreign help or patronage. Democracy is not something that comes in an aid package, an NRO-infected political virus that poisons the entire body politics. It is like an organism that breeds in a structural form, that must be perfectly healthy in its conception, and that must be carefully nourished and served by those who are committed to the basic dynamics of democratic health by selfless dedication to moral and ethical rules of governance. In todays Pakistan, we have all the necessary ingredients: We are already at the edge of collapse and at the lowest ebb of national calamities, and those responsible for these disasters have been exposed. It is time to act in unison and join the emerging peoples revolution for justice, fairness, equality, rule of law and, above all, for moral politics. Thank you, Mirza Whatever your intents, God only knows better, but we have now an avenue to turn around and fix ourselves You have made people clamour for change - and that is what is needed now Amazingly ZMirza has been going around with the letters. To quote Ghalib: Even if he wanted to conceal the contents, he could not Not anymore n The writer is UAE-based academic policy analyst, conflict resolution expert and the author of several books on Pakistan and foreign policy issues. He holds a doctorate and a masters degree from Columbia university in New York. Email:hl_mehdi@hotmail.com