Economic misery relentlessly pursues the common Pakistani. Inflation mercilessly sucks the very marrow of his bones. He hungrily gazes at the politician, but is not fed. The politician has no gravy, but only an early grave for him. To console the common man, the politician appeals to his patriotic sentiments. He sermonises to the common man: Free nations are bound to make sacrifices for their freedom. Infuriated by the politicians lip service politics, the common Pakistani hits back. He asks the politician: Why all the sacrifices are quarried out of myself alone? Why dont you contribute something? Are you a foreign tourist in Pakistan feasting your eyes on the miseries of the common Pakistani? Is the common Pakistani born to be immolated at the altar of patriotism so that the politician could feast his nostrils on the delicious aroma of the sacrificial blood? Our national resources have a magical trait. When a hungry Pakistani begs for a spoonful of calories, the resources shrink into nothingness. But when the uncommon Pakistani waves his hand for a kitchenful of indigenous and exotic delicacies, the resources magically swell to telescopic proportions. There is no limit to what the motherland does for her uncommon sons. But there is nothing that the motherland does for her common sons. The common Pakistani believes that by joining new political parties, the politician changes his loyalty. The common Pakistan is pitiably ignorant. The politician never changes his loyalties because he never endows any party with his loyalty. Loyalty is purely an affair of the heart. But the politician just doesnt have a heart. He is a biological freak. He is an organism perfectly functioning without a heart. Being a heartless being, his hands perform the function of the heart. When he joins a political party, it is purely a joining of the hands, never of the hearts. Hearts join hearts absolutely selflessly. Hands join hands absolutely commercially. The moment the hands-joining ritual is over, the politicians hands delve into the partys pockets. If they come out with our overflowing with the desired benefits, they deliver a parting slap to the party and fly to 'fresh woods and pastures new. A country cannot survive unless the majority of the citizens are selflessly loyal to the country. In a country like Pakistan, the poor masses constitute this majority. They make sacrifices for the countrys survival. The politician watches the sacrifices. He appreciates the sacrifices. His appreciation is his only contribution to the survival of the country. Unfortunately, our politics is not a civilised politics. It is essentially a tribal politics of personal vendettas. Generally, a politician yearns for power, which he could revengefully use for slaking his rancour and malice. For the politician, there is no power more powerful than the political power for settling personal feuds. No wonder, almost all the political parties sing a common anthem. It goes like this: Get the power, Wait for the hour, And let the bullets shower The politicians mutual detestation springs from their love of the same beautiful damsel, the political power. Our politics is a bawdy affair. The common Pakistani plays the pimp. By misusing his voting power, he brings the damsel and the would-be ravisher together. When the two get together, they celebrate their union by flinging the pimp out of their sight. He is forbidden to get anywhere near their concubinage-bed till the next elections. Being not paid for his 'pimpy services, the common Pakistani rues having done what he is absolutely unable to undo. We have numerous political parties. All these parties have a common programme. The common programme is that they have no programme. What a marvellous singleness of purpose Nature is a mammoth creator and a mammoth destroyer. She prolifically destroys what she prolifically creates. Her creation-destruction ambivalence is passionately emulated by the politicians. As nature creates for satisfying her passion for destruction, so the politician makes promises for satisfying his passion for breaking promises. Creating things and destroying things is natures religion. Making commitments and breaking commitments is the politicians dogma. When a politician fails to fulfil his commitments, the common Pakistani objects. Poor objector He just doesnt know that politics is an art of inventing worse reasons for bad intentions. n The writer retired as professor of the Department of English, Government College University, Lahore.