Is the current set of rulers, the parliament and the civil and military bureaucracy capable of saving Pakistan? Truth be told, no matter how one softens it, this brand of democracy is failing Pakistan more than ever before. Not as many militants are killed in the operations our establishment does but our citizens are being killed in droves in bomb blasts every week. The areas where armed forces are operating to root out the militancy are desolate places but the places where bomb blasts daily occur are prime urban areas that are often congested in extreme. The explosions are not just being heard in the news but, even more to our discomfiture, to a deafening degree in the economy too, causing the investors to bolt out like rabbits. Result is a mix of anarchy, inflation, scarcity of foodstuff in times of rampant unemployment. May be it is time to resort to the tactics used by the states behind the Iron Curtain; they were the best at stopping the outside forces from interfering in their countries. We must not enter into any agreement with the powers having hedgemonist history, be it via a Kerry-Lugar Bill or some kind of defense agreements. To renew fear of the law and state, a few confirmed murder convicts need hung publicly. Some Qabza group leaders ought to have their hands cut. A large part of the corrupt police officialdom needs to be pensioned off. Prostitution be dealt with iron hand, pimps too ought to be lashed in public. -M. SHAIKH, Islamabad, November 6.