THE biggest failing of Pakistan's current political leadership is, arguably, its inability to appreciate that time has changed. The access to information, through the Internet and the media, has awakened the masses to the realities of political life in the country. Even the illiterate that, unfortunately, continue to abound in our society to this day, get their daily fare of news and views from the electronic media. They can no longer be fed on emotional slogans and empty promises. They want the leaders to deliver and are not amused by the Prime Minister's admission of 'the biggest mistake' in not implementing the Charter of Democracy. Could he please tell the nation what has so far prevented the government from putting it into effect, although it had all the votes to carry the required amendments through and was all the time being urged by the civil society and major opposition party to do so? When some commitment has for so long been shelved on one pretext or the other, the public would not be satisfied with a reiteration of the commitment or owning one's fault in not honouring it. The truth seems to be that the foot-dragging has been deliberate; a package of reforms, with some issues that had not been agreed upon in the CoD, has been prepared. The story of the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms, which is considering the package and has already held around 40 meetings without being able to sort out all disagreements, confirms the point. Besides, off and on, strange new ideas are being floated like drastically reducing the minimum age prescribed for prime ministership to make PPP Chairman Bilawal eligible for the post. One hopes it was just a passing fancy, but let us not make a fool of ourselves by giving expression to such ideas. Prime Minister Gilani also called Mian Nawaz Sharif on Sunday. He assured the PML-N leader that all-out efforts would be put in to ensure that the proposed accountability law was made all comprehensive, which would be acceptable to the different shades of opinion and would take care of present as well as future requirements. The text would also eliminate any possibility of recourse to political victimisation. The PM was told that the PML-N had returned the draft of the law with suggestions of amendments. Since the bursting of the NRO balloon, accountability talk has taken on an unusual currency, as the right-minded sections of society are pressing for the NRO-tainted government functionaries to step down from their seats of power and have their names cleared before assuming any role of public responsibility. The PPP, going on the back foot, is doing everything to confuse the issue. Information Minister Kaira wants judges and generals to be tried as well. But shouldn't his government file cases against those among them who it considers corrupt before talking about their trial? And shouldn't those who have already been charged - as the NRO-affected - be brought in the dock to begin with? Let the process and the purging begin with the NRO and the rest can follow.