There is no denying the fact that allegations leveled against the ruling regime are not without substance. Nothing will change in the Land of Pure as long as this well-heeled ruling class of ours keeps sucking the blood of the 170 million poor to keep up their royal lifestyle and the gullible masses keep re-electing these depraved rogues. General Kayani is constantly being nudged to step in and stem the rot. This practice is an old one. During the ten-year unenviable 'democratic' era in the 1990s, General Beg, General Asif, General Kakar and General Karamat were all cajoled a lot into doing so by disgruntled politicians, bureaucrats and senior retired army officers. Luckily, none obliged. They all stayed resolutely apolitical. General Musharraf staged a coup against the 'heavy mandate; just at the time when the democratic era, after years of bungling, had begun to deliver. Yearning for democracy free of military patronage began to mount from 2005 onwards and peaked after March 2007 when people got disillusioned with one-man rule. After getting rid of military dictator and rejoicing rebirth of democracy, disenchantment set in within six months of democratic rule and by now bitterness has intensified to the same pitch that it was in 1999. Irrespective of blundering of politicians, the army would not get induced and would let democracy run its course. -RANIA AHMED, Karachi, via e-mail, August 21.