It seems that the hawks and the vultures have been released from their cages again, as their screeches can be heard once more as they circle around our TV screens and newspapers, searching for blood. In his article, 'The cry of the hawks', (Dawn, Monday 22nd 08), Ahmad Faruqui has pointed out that: 'The carnage in Mumbai has yielded one benefit. It has unmasked the warmongers on both sides The picture that has emerged is not pretty. Editorial pages overflow with poisoned words and the airwaves are thick with bigotry'. It is both surprising and horrifying that a country, whose founding fathers preached and practised non violence and freed its people from the yoke of the British Empire through peaceful means, is now hell bent on destroying itself through violence and unleashing death and destruction in the region. No doubt, the Mumbai attack has left a deep gash on the Indian nation and its people and it is only right for them to demand that the culprits be caught and punished. But that does not justify the hard lines that the hawks and the vultures have taken. The Indian government has repeatedly stated that enough evidence has been given to Pakistan regarding the Mumbai terrorist attacks and now 'Islamabad must act'. However, Islamabad keeps saying that is not so. It seems that as usual, both nuclear powers are in a state of denial, while the world watches their childish behaviour in horror and wonder. Where the truth lies is for the experts to decide, but from an ordinary citizen's point of view, one can not blame the Indians for not accepting our assurances that action would be taken against the culprits if enough evidence was provided, as our track record in these matters has not been very good. The many years of bad governance, lack of accountability, breakdown of law and order, our failure to catch even one terrorist, including BB's assassins and punish them, the collapse of our judicial system and the institutions, the irresponsible behaviour of some of our 'non-state' leaders, politicians and law enforcing agencies, has led the world community to repeatedly refer to Pakistan as a centre for terrorist activities and an 'almost failed state' that is about to implode. Our judicial system is under a dark cloud and in a state of confusion, the much heralded Charter of Democracy lies gathering dust in parliament and the removal of the Seventeenth amendment Section 58-2(b) seems to have been abandoned. So how can the world accept our promises and assurances, when all promises and assurances that have been given even to us, have been broken? Our inability to protect the rights of the women and introduce amendments the Hudood Ordinance, the terrible mishandling of the shameful Lal Masjid episode and the news that the arms that were seized at that time have been stolen from Aabpara Polic Station, has further eroded our credibility on the world stage. Our government seems to be missing the point, the Indians and the US are not accusing us of planning and carrying out terrorist attacks, but its failure to enforce its writ and reign in the rogue members of our LEAs and intelligence services and the various terrorist and extremist groups, who seem to operate at will, picking targets to bomb with ease. This apprehension is also shared by many Pakistanis. As my friend, Babar Ayaz, in his Rover's Dairy has pointed out, 'A visiting German journalist, who heads the South Asia Bureau of ARD Radiio, has asked this blunt question to me: "Who runs Pakistan?" By implication it means that there is a doubt in the international community, that the new democratic government is not the real ruler'. In other words, as the Americans would put it, 'who is minding the store?' According to well informed sources in Islamabad, even the PM's agenda is strictly monitored and at times his orders are not even implemented, if they are against the agenda of the infamous 'hidden hands'. Whether this is myth or reality and another piece of misinformation is for the electronic and print media to investigate and reveal, but it can not be denied that over the past forty years, we have witnessed the failure of the government to enforce its writ, the rule of law or establish accountability. And we have now reached a stage where our northern areas are out of our control and the Taliban are marching gradually, but surely towards our cities. There is also the news that the Taliban have given the government till the 15th of January 09, to close down all girls schools in the Swat area or they will burn them down and slaughter the girl students. This open threat is a challenge to the government and exposes the clash of vision between the government and a certain portion of our society. Gen. Musharraf had repeatedly stressed the need for enlightened moderation and tolerance and after 9/11, he had a golden opportunity to change the destiny and direction of this nation and set it on a course to progress and prosperity. But he had failed to do so and wasted the billions of dollars. However, all this does not justify the hawkish behavior of the Indians. No doubt their anger and outrage can be understandable, but it must also realize that Pakistan is a greater victim of these terrorist attacks in which thousands of innocent Pakistanis have been killed, including the late Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. So it would be suicidal for us to even think of such an attack. Therefore it is time for both governments to take a reality check and face hard facts. Saber rattling, chest thumping speeches and hollow assurances are not going to solve the thorny issues. Both countries are now nuclear powers and have to show maturity and live together in peace and harmony, as fate has tied us together by an inseparable historic and a cultural chord. Both countries can not afford to go to war, especially India, as today it has become a big economical force in the world and many American and Indian corporations have invested millions of dollars in setting up industries, businesses, call centres, etc. and they can not afford to see all that destroyed and go up in flames. However, one diplomatic friend of mine has informed me that now some of the big giant corporations are fed up with Pakistan's government failure to enforce its writ, take action against the extremists and introduce good governance and are supporting the idea of out 'surgical strikes' against us. Therefore it is time for both countries to unite, put aside their differences and fight the common enemy together. They must put the interests and the well being of their citizens first and pay attention to the needs of their people and address the issues of poverty, hunger, illiteracy and disease in the long term. It is time to stop being prisoners of the past and focus on the future and learn to live together in peace if we are to survive and progress. 'Non-state actors', in any disguise, must not be allowed to destroy the future of our generations, because if we do, then we will end up as 'non state citizens' without a country and end up by destroying each other and die a horrible death, as those who died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. E-mail: trust@super net. pk