The past week had brought tidings both on the domestic and external fronts, which is definitely not a good omen for the future of Pakistan. It is unfortunate that nothing seems to be going in the right direction, as if an 'unholy alliance is engaged in a grand design to destabilise Pakistan. Against this backdrop, one is reminded of the words spoken in Shakespeares play The Merchant of Venice: One woe doth tread upon anothers heel, so fast they follow. While the standoff between the judiciary and the executive over the appointment of National Accountability Bureau Chairman Justice (retd) Deedar Hussain Shah, along with some other issues, shook the nation, the government imposed addition taxes of Rs53 billion through a Presidential Ordinance causing a lot of uncertainty and social distress across the land. As if that was not enough to cause widespread unrest, Former Minister for Religious Affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi was arrested by the FIA for his alleged involvement in the Haj scam; Adil Saleem Tikka, son-in-law of former Provincial Minister Iqbal Tikka, was detained for embezzling millions of rupees in the Qasr-e-Zauq property scam; and MPA Moonis Elahi, son of former Chief Minister Punjab Pervaiz Elahi, was arrested on corruption charges and remanded to police custody (now released). At the same time, the fires of unrest rekindled in Sindh due to a fierce brawl between Interior Minister Sindh Zulfikar Mirza and leaders of the Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). Last week also saw the worsening of the security situation in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly in FATA. To top it all, was the Raymond Davis fiasco, in which two innocent Pakistanis were killed in Mozang Chungi, Lahore. This tragic incident, too, had drawn the attention of not only the Pakistani nation, but also the world, which continues even after the American national has been released. Ask 'why? Lets set the record straight The US administration, including President Barack Obama, had claimed that the CIA agent was a diplomat and enjoyed immunity, while the Pakistani leadership insisted that the case will be decided by the court. But after, reportedly, prolonged secret negotiations between the US and Pakistani stakeholders, assisted by some foreign powers, it was decided that the Islamic law known as Diyat or blood money - a law in which the victims family pardons the criminal after receiving a specific amount of money - will be paid to the heirs. Thus, Davis was released and he immediately returned to the US. However, there is a lot of controversy about the Diyat deal, as to who paid the money and who got what. Besides this, it is a possibility that the victims families were forced to accept the blood money, as they are missing since the verdict (suspected to have left the country) and their lawyer was not allowed to meet them. Moreover, while the entire nation protested against the killers release, unfortunately, US drones targeted a jirga in North Waziristan killing over 40 Pakistani citizens. The fact of the matter is that a missile strike within 24 hours of Davis release is one of the deadliest acts of human rights violation that has led to a strong wave of protests across the length and breadth of Pakistan. In addition, General Kayani has condemned the attack. He said: It is highly regrettable that a jirga (meeting) of peaceful citizens including elders of the area was carelessly and callously targeted with complete disregard to human life.Such acts of violence take us away from our objective of elimination of terrorism. It is imperative to understand that this critical objective cannot be sacrificed for temporary tactical gains. Security of the people of Pakistanstands above all. Such aggression against the people of Pakistan is unjustified and intolerable under any circumstances. Our Foreign Office, too, has summoned Ambassador Cameron Munter where Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir not only demanded an apology from the US for the attack, but also informed him that Pakistan is pulling out of the trilateral meeting involving America and Afghanistan. Later, Munter said that he would convey Islamabads message to Washington. So, looking back at the internal and external challenges facing Pakistan over the past 60 years, it is considered that the problems in the past have never been so grave: The economic situation has never been so alarming; the political dissensions never so critical; and the need for national unity never so urgent as today. Yet, it is surprising that the political leadership hopes to complete its term without realising for whom the bell tolls so loudly. n The writer is the President of the Pakistan National Forum.