About 75% of land in the Sindh province is under water right now due to monsoon rains. The people of Pakistan are so poor that they cannot afford to build their dwellings on scientific lines. It is a pity that the politicians are all the time talking of fixing a national agenda. Right now we do need a national agenda but specifically for developing our basic human and physical infrastructures. It is absolutely useless to develop one without the other. This agenda should first and foremost enhance the quality of our institutions manned totally on merit by experts possessing a purely patriotic outlook. These national institutions should be responsible for correctly and honestly advising the elected representatives in making legislations for proper implementation of the national agenda and also for other day to day state business. The five and 10-year plans must be revived to curb instant-gratification impulses of the rulers. The entire foreign policy must be placed in civilian hands. The curricula for our educational institutions must be legislated by the federal government and not be left to the provinces. All no-go areas including Fata should be abolished and subjected to uniform law and administrative structure of Pakistan. We have to act urgently to clean up our political landscape. There is absolutely no doubt that our country is run for foreign interests only and this fact has brought about our complete ruination. Therefore all the political leaders who have interests in foreign lands should be banned from political activity. To start with, anyone who has a cash balance and/or property abroad worth more than US $10000 should be disallowed to stand for any political or public office. It is alarming to note that one of our political leaders is permanently living in a foreign country, which is known for heavily negative intervention in our countrys policies. Most dangerously for us, he is completely beholden to that foreign country for the safety and preservation of his very life and is at the same time single-handedly controlling the most important and economically fundamental city of Pakistan. Is our existence not entirely at the mercy of foreign powers? GHULAM HUSSAIN, Muzaffargarh, September 16.