This is with reference to the letter 'Here on some other mission (The Nation, February 3) lamenting the lack of good governance in Pakistan. The writer sees no hope for us in the foreseeable future. I say, the nations go through both good and bad times. The strong ones overpower their bad circumstance with their commitment to progress and move ahead to meet further challenges of life. The world history tells us about the people who went through these lean patches with great fortitude, industry and a firm commitment to their future. Advanced nations of the world today, Britain, USA, China, France, Japan, etc went through it. Britain saw the worst during the Dark Age, USA remained a colony of Britain for more than a century, China was virtually destroyed by Britain during the Opium Wars, the French went through the tumult of a millennium during the French Revolution and were over run in the Second World War completely. The Second World War also destroyed Germany and Japan completely. Yet each of these nations rose from their ashes to become a world power. Pakistan is mired in deep troubles today due to apparently insurmountable challenges on the economic, political, social and diplomatic fronts. But this is a transitory phase of our history as was faced by other unsuccessful nations of the world in their national lives. Pakistanis need not lose hope. With unity, hard work, honesty, sincerity and, above all, through our will to succeed, we can overcome all of our problems and issues and emerge as a great country on the map of the world. -ABDUL SAMAD SAMO, Karachi, February 6.