Inayatullah Pakistan at the end of the year 2010 is a far cry from the Quaids dream of a strong and prosperous country. We indeed have become a third-rate country at the lowest rung, even amongst the Third World countries. Little has been learnt from our blunders and follies. Few are bothered about the way we lost half of our country, how thousands of our soldiers surrendered to the Indian military, and how we messed up the Kashmir issue with an ill-planned war in 1965 and a foolish misadventure in Kargil. The Hamoodur Rahman Commission is a forgotten story. And there has been no such thing as a Kargil Commission to probe into our stupidity at the highest level. Although very much delayed, we did manage to make the countrys Constitution in 1956, but before the first national election was held, the jackboots stepped in and democracy - unsteady and shaky as it was - was thrown out of the window. Politicians were demonised and the country became a hostage to the whims and wishes of one man. The second (drunkard) dictator was moronic enough to hasten the break-up of the country. He was followed by a civilian martial law administrator, who was blessed with the opportunity of putting the country on democratic rails, but the wadera in him got the upper hand and he fell victim to gross misuse of authority aimed at strengthening his political hold on the country. And we were back in the grubby clutches of the General Headquarters. Another spell of rule by the elected representatives proved to be just another spurt on the democratic road. It didnt take long to be halted by yet another military commander. He militarised politics and the civil services, sought to destroy the judiciary and dealt a fatal blow to the countrys sovereignty. His economic bubble burst soon after he dismounted. His tinkering with the district administration led to a horrendous breakdown of law and order. One of his fatal gifts was the utter unconcern about the urgency of adding to the capacity to produce enough electricity, thus ensuring a disastrous future of our economy. His worst legacy was the foisting on the country a government, which owes its very existence to the wicked NRO. This government sanctified with democratic credentials is practically an extension of the previous regime, pursuing its policies with particular reference to its relations with Washington. The new rulers in Islamabad have managed to install a democratic faade with most of the trappings of democracy in place and some credible achievements like the 18th and 19th Amendments and the National Finance Award (NFC). The taste of the pudding is in the eating. A governments performance is judged by the way it runs and strengthens its economy, how fair, just and honest it is in looking after the people, in the delivery of essential services, in ensuring personal security, in other words in governance and management of the countrys affairs. How scrupulously it guards the principles and directives of the Constitution? What it does to build up and maintain national institutions? How accountable it is to the public? And does it protect and preserve the national interests while dealing with foreign countries. On all these counts, the federal governments performance is disappointing if not poor. No wonder, it failed to effectively manage the problems arising from the unprecedented floods. Millions of dislodged people, after the lapse of many months have yet to be rehabilitated and resettled. Imagine a country where thousands of people are killed every year because of foreign aerial strikes, target killings and terrorists attacks. Where people everywhere, even in posh urban areas, feel personally insecure, and where the protectors of the peoples life and property, themselves have become instruments of lawlessness, loot and extortion. After the dreadful disaster of the breakaway of half of the country, any sensible government would have taken prudent and timely steps to put a stop to alienation and separatist tendencies wherever visible. Amazing such a situation in Balochistan has been allowed to deteriorate with only sporadic gestures to address the issue. Talking about foreign affairs, one must take notice of the looming American military threat to Pakistan and, at the same time, acknowledged the sincere support extended by China as expressed by its Prime Minister recently. One need not go on recounting various lapses and misdoings of our ruling leadership. How corruption is flourishing unhindered and how the brave Pakistani, who heads Transparency International, instead of being lauded and supported in his crusade against this evil, is being harassed and hounded by certain law enforcement agencies. One of my keen concerns is illiteracy. About 60 million Pakistanis, today, are utterly illiterate (millions of our productive manpower lacks this basic human skill). And yet little is being done to accelerate and to promote literacy. If the internationally committed targets of 86 percent literacy rate by 2015 are to be achieved, (according to the National Plan of Action) around 150,000 literacy centres should have been functioning on the ground. Less than 15,000 are claimed to have been opened - with only 800 in Balochistan and less than 2,000 in Sindh. Thanks to the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD), UNESCO and NGOs like PACADE, Khwendo Kor, Bunyad and Indus Resource Centre, the cause of literacy is being kept alive. With the transfer of education to the provinces under the 18th Amendment, one wonders if the required attention would be paid to this neglected area. (It is important that some authority is left at the national level in regard to curriculum, standards and benchmarks overall planning and monitoring as also relationships with concerned international agencies.) Instead of stirring up the hornets nest, it is time the political opposition take up the national issues of economy, sovereignty, security, education and governance - inside Parliament and outside - seriously and persistently. Again the media can make a tremendous contribution in focusing on the lags and lacks of strategic policies and public administration. (It is already doing a commendable job in this direction.) Above all, we must laud our higher judiciary for keeping an eye on the governments excesses and shenanigans, and striving to protect the peoples rights and demands. Let the year 2011 be the year of sterling contributions by the political opposition, the media, the higher judiciary and the civil society. The government must be made to do the right thing and in the right way. The writer is a political and international relations analyst. Email: pacadepak@gmail.com