The people had voted on February 18 with specific objectives in mind. Objectives that, today, are a far cry from being achieved. Leave alone achieved the pursuit has not begun. Window dressing and rhetoric have flourished for the last hundred days. "Restored" is heard as commonly as "Asalam-o-Alaikum and "Inshallah". Sadly it hasn't happened nor is it likely to the way things are going. Clarity has given way to murkiness. Hopes have been dashed. The people are completely bewildered. The Murree Declaration, which seems ions away now, created hope even though it was laden with prerequisites. People really believed restoration was round the corner and would definitely happen come what may within the 30 days. With this done they believed the democratic dispensation was sincere and that the entire focus would shift to them. The gross negligence of the preceding eighteen months had taken a heavy toll. They were linking restoration with the inherent belief that the judiciary was the peoples' only friend and benefactor. That it would act for them in defending basic rights and ensuring delivery of basic needs. In addition to being bewildered they are hungry. Cost of living spiral is like a whirlwind, leaving a trail of economic destruction. A Reuters report reads, "Anguish is becoming increasingly common in Pakistan where inflation is running at about 20 percent, led by fuel and food prices. Soaring food prices and shortages of staples mean about 77 million people of Pakistan's 160 million population are food insecure, a 28 percent increase over the past year, according to UN World Food Programme (WFP) estimates." It goes on to define "food insecure" as "means people are unable to get sufficient nutritious food to meet dietary needs." This is no state secret, it is a serious concern. A concern that is being treated with contemptuous neglect. A total sense of detachment is very apparent. One is in a quandary, trying to analyse the current actions of the government. Logic fails to provide the answers. The media and intellectuals are increasingly of the view that governance does not exist and that there is no real driver. In fact, the question on peoples' minds is who is actually running whatever government that exists. Not one single step to benefit the poor has been completed in the first hundred days. Rhetoric yes, action no. The worst is denial of a crisis. The mind immediately travels to past governments who have lived in a perpetual state of denial. The single reason for retaining the hitherto much discredited PTV and the renowned disinformation ministry. A crisis needs to be faced head-on. A concerned minister emphatically stating, "We have no crisis; no shortage" means what? That simply by his pronouncement all is well. He or she should quickly take cover and remember, "Be" (and it is), is only the Creator's prerogative. There is crisis and we need the government to provide a concrete blueprint of the steps initiated to overcome it. We are told hectic meetings are being held to find solutions. But can "policy wonks" producing multiple documents after endless meetings and burning midnight oil (consuming vast quantities of food and liquids) seriously come up with practical solutions? If they could we would have had at least preliminary steps taken. To their credit they are at least working. The rest are travelling around having a ball as if all was hunky dory in the kingdom. A concerned friend took it upon himself to travel to Balochistan to talk with other friends. He was greeted with traditional Baloch hospitality and the warmth generations of family interaction produces. When it came to discussing the situation it was entirely a different matter. They are in deep anguish. Azadi, is a word that cropped up with regularity. They were willing to listen to reason; there was no animosity just complete disbelief in their ever benefiting from the existing system or configuration. There has been no dialogue, no engagement nor visible show of any intent to do so. I interviewed Sardar Ataullah after the Chaudhry Shujaat committee had presented him with a formula. What he had to say I would rather not print here. Since then the Baloch and their issues have been blatantly ignored. Mr Zardari had certainly apologised at the very outset but he has probably been too busy to give exclusive time. Apparently Shahbaz Sharif heard the anguished cries of the Baloch. He landed in Quetta with the usual political delegation in attendance and met with relevant leaders. He offered condolences for the death of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti with family members at Bugti House. Something that past government leaders arrogantly dismissed, branding the late Tumundar a "traitor". But when hearts are broken one wonders if delayed intervention can ever correct the damage. However, the Punjab chief minister's move to befriend the smaller provinces must be welcomed. The press conference in which he referred to the Punjab as a "real brother" carried with it a strong defence of the negative role commonly attributed to the Punjab in past governments that treated smaller provinces with disdain, denying that those governments were led by Punjabi leaders. Be that as it may, his offer to provide assistance to the Balochistan government in terms of wheat, education quotas and development projects is unique to this country. There has been so much inter-provincial acrimony and jealousy in the past. There is an urgent need to redress this and while Pakistan retains its provincial identities it must emerge as one strong nation. Obviously Shahbaz Sharif cannot do it alone but full praise to him for making the effort. The situation in the tribal areas is causing shivers. American hype has reached a peak and Karzai's virulent attack coupled with India's wish to demolish the ISI, is indicative of tough times ahead. Surprisingly Bush wishes to examine Afghan allegations while in the past he has acted quickly to stem the negative tide. Mullen's unannounced visit to meet with the army chief and chairman joint chiefs has also triggered much speculation. Rumours are that he even met with Musharraf. And it has been made very apparent that Mr Gilani will get a serious dressing down in Washington next week. The economy is taking a serious beating. The cost of imports is bursting the bank as the Rupee slumps. Buying power within the country is badly hit. A man earning 8,000 rupees a month says, "We used to eat roti and dal (lentils) but now even that has become impossible. Look at the price of flour, oil and sugar." In the face of political, economic and terrorist strife the government's pot is already bubbling over. The current approach of prolonged intra and inter-party dialogue in an attempt to diffuse and parry issues is unworkable. Restlessness is rampant both within the country and within the allies in the terror war. As the "more" cries intensify and sensitivity grows within, the government will be pushed further into isolation. And while all this takes priority social sector development will remain at a standstill. The people will continue to suffer. A 170 million people stand corralled by a handful. And that handful, politicians, the policy wonks, the bureaucracy, the army and most of all those religious fanatics are oblivious to the damage to the core of this nation. Its cries are lost in the wilderness. The question is who, what, when, will hear them? The writer is a Karachi-based political and economic analyst E-mail: imranmhusain@gmail.com