THE present political dispensation is certainly adept at keeping alive political confusions at a time when more pressing problems continue to afflict the nation. So it should not have surprised anyone to hear President Zardari declare that the constitutional reforms package would be finalised by the end of March, even though Prime Minister Gilani and other members of the government have been talking of removal of all aberrations to the 1973 constitution before 23rd March. The President may continue to swear by his democratic credentials, but his actions do not reflect these, and while he may declare his intent of handing back the presidential powers claimed by dictators, again his actions so far give little to hope that this will indeed happen. As for the claim that he had voluntarily handed over charge of the nuclear National Command Authority, that is the one position that should have been retained by the head of the State as opposed to the head of Government. Nor did this position reflect an aberration of democracy as the other Amendments giving powers to the President do. In fact, the President has been using his powers arbitrarily in all manner of ways, as for instance with cronyism dominating official appointments. It appears that the whole issue of constitutional reform has deliberately been complicated by widening the scope so extensively that the issue gets totally bogged down in debate and controversy where none existed on the core issues such as the 17th Amendment. But now issues like the renaming of a province and a host of other items, which were not directly related to usurpation of prime ministerial powers of the 1973 Constitution by military dictators, have become part of the all-encompassing and wide agenda of the constitutional reform package. The result has been that no final shape has yet been given to the final package which will finally restore the democratic balance of power in favour of the Parliament and the Prime Minister. Despite all this, Prime Minister Gilani had made a commitment to the nation that there would be good news for the nation in relation to the constitutional reforms before the 23rd of March, and Raza Rabbani who heads the Constitutional Reform Committee had also given out that agreements were being finalised much before the 23rd. But now, out of the blues, the President has come forth with clearly another postponement. So far the Presidents record on constitutional reform and the Balochistan packages is not very comfitting. The Charter of Democracy has also become a vast vanishing dream, receding into the abyss of political gamesmanship. But the people cannot be fooled continuously. It is time to get rid of the dictatorial amendments to the 1973 Constitution and finally get down to the business of governing effectively and democratically.