Ikramullah A bloodbath that took place on September 2, 2010, near Karbla Gamay Shah, at Lahore, was followed by another bloodbath at Quetta targeting Youm-al-Quds rally at Meezan Chowk. At least 39 innocent civilians were killed and 150 injured at Lahore and the bloodbath at the Quetta rally claimed 59 dead and 120 injured, including several journalists. During the 72-hour deadly period, other instances of barbarity were also reported such as a suicide attack at Ahmadiya worship place, in Mardan, and the bombing of a police van in Peshawar. It seems that after the elections in 2008, the record of atrocities committed on the hapless people of Pakistan is dark and dismal, reflecting the utter helplessness of the law enforcing agencies. Hence, the responsibility solely lies on the nation as a whole, who have elected incompetent parliamentarians to run the affairs of the state. Here, let me remind the readers of what Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, in his first presidential address to the Constituent Assembly on August 11, 1947, had said: The first and foremost duty of the government is to protect and safeguard the life, property and honour of its citizens regardless of colour, cast and creed. So the question is, has the present Government of Pakistan lived up to the expectations of the people and the standard set by our Founding Father? Certainly, the answer is 'no. The point is that the present ruling elite never reconciled with the fact that history will not spare them, as it did not spare their predecessors. In this backdrop, it is a fact that the incumbent leadership has failed to protect and safeguard the life, property and honour of its citizens. Approximately 35 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. Corruption has been widespread, as there is no transparent system of accountability. The rich are becoming richer, while the poor find it harder to sustain themselves sometimes by not even being able to get a single meal per day. As if that was not enough, unprecedented floods wreaked havoc in all the four provinces of Pakistan, causing devastation that has yet to be calculated. However, according to an estimate, nearly 20 million people have been rendered homeless; their houses, livestock and crops have been completely damaged. Thus, to meet a challenge of this magnitude the nation needs Unity, Faith and Discipline which is totally lacking. Undoubtedly, the present government will not be able to manage the disaster all by itself, especially when the country is facing a trust deficit. Under the circumstances, the system would have totally collapsed but for the quick and efficient rescue and relief operations in the flood-affected areas by the army, navy, air force; and the provision of humanitarian assistance by the United Nations, World Bank and the International Monetary Fund played a remarkable role. Moreover, in an environment of total dismay and utter helplessness, the extremists have found a golden opportunity to unleash their lethal suicidal bombers in order to destabilise the already staggering democratic system, in which 30 percent of Parliament has lost its representatives symbolism, because more than 50 'honourable parliamentarians possess fake degrees. A sense of restlessness is prevailing among the people at the ineffective manner in which extremism is being dealt with. The need is to harshly deal with the masterminds behind the blood wars to put an end to such brutalities. The continuing bloodshed will terribly affect the democratic system. This would be a great setback to the Founding Fathers dream of Pakistan, as a bloody revolution will give birth to a new system on the ashes of the old system. In such circumstances, should Parliament and the present leadership stumble at saving the integrity and sovereignty of Pakistan, someone will have to do something to protect Quaid-i-Azams Pakistan to forestall a bloody revolution overtaking the nation. Without an iota of doubt, all the political forces must join hands on this one point agenda before it is too late. The writer is the president of the Pakistan National Forum.