All political parties die at last of swallowing their own lies. John Arbuthnot Pakistan is passing through the most critical time in its history. Undoubtedly, it has faced difficult times, but, this period perhaps is the worst, since the country has suffered not only due to an increase in terrorist attacks and devastating floods, but also political foolishness. Instead of listening to reason, several politicians from different parties, masquerading as wise men, have still not realised that their statements, as well as desires, creates despondency and confusion among the people, which eventually could result in chaos and additional lawlessness. In this context, it would be worth reviewing two current events, besides the recipe for disaster that is being propounded by MQM chief Altaf Hussain. First, Chaudhry Shujaats visit to Pir Pagara, after which the duo declared that PML-Q and PML-F will merge into a single political entity and prepare for an early election in the country. While this may appear as a deft political move on the part of the Gujrati politicians, yet it would not achieve the desired results until and unless Mian Nawaz Sharif throws his weight behind the whole political arrangement. Second, former dictator Pervez Musharrafs announcement to return to Pakistan and formally launch his new political party called the All Pakistan Muslim League. Early reports suggest that Musharrafs party will comprise of known turncoats, who will gang up under the wings of the General hoping that he may soon climb back into the corridors of power through some extra-constitutional measure. This also seems to be the desire of Pir Pagara and his new followers, who otherwise cannot dream in anyway of capturing power on their own unless they have enough support of the people. Indeed, these two developments have set alarm bells ringing for those who believe in the rule of law and want that the will of the people is respected. Surely, all those who believe in democracy do not wish for anything outside the constitution, as it may spell disaster for Pakistan. These political alignments coming on the heels of calls for a revolution by MQM Chief Altaf Hussain have not only upset the mainstream political parties, but have also initiated a controversy that has enveloped the establishment of the country in an issue that should have never been on their domain. Moreover, some vested interest groups have been crying hoarse predicting not only the demise of the elected government, but also of the institution of democracy. There has been prescribed an amended Bangladesh model in the belief that it will heal whatever was wrong with Pakistan. Also, some had suggested that the judiciary should order the armed forces to intervene and clean up the system of corruption, and then arrange for free and fair elections in order to pull the country out of prevailing mess. At first this debate was being carried out in the media but many did not take it seriously, because no one worth his name would like to support any extra-constitutional measure. That may damage the very integrity of the country. Anyhow, the performance of the present government leaves much to be desired. A more serious effort must be made to rectify whatever is wrong with governance in Pakistan. For example, the recent petrol crisis has further exposed the lack of interest or incompetence of government departments working mainly under the ministers from the PPP. While it was heartening to see that finally Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has woken up from his Rip Van Winkle slumber by sharply reacting to the critics of his government, it would have been equally comforting if he had evaluated the performance of his ministers and their dedication to the cause of the poor man in the country. The Executive, unfortunately, has so far refused to proceed even against those ministers who have miserably failed to deliver. Nevertheless, there are some bright spots in government, who had successfully achieved consensus on some thorny issues such as the National Finance Commission Award and the 18th Amendment. So, while it may be too early for the new political arrangements to mount any real political threat to the federal government because it has the support of ANP, MQM and JUI-F, there is no guarantee that this support will continue if urgent measures are not put in place. That would not only lead to good governance, but also clean up the mess that has been created due to the poor working of some of the ministries. It would be appropriate if the government at least began to put on the drawing board its priorities that would help the country improve its image internationally and create an atmosphere that could kick-start the tottering economy of the country. Needless to say, it is also the duty of other political players not to propagate ideas that will invariably damage democratic norms in Pakistan. As a final word, for those who are trying to build new political alignments may be well advised to work within the framework of the constitution. They should ensure that they will not support any fancy idea such as the formation of an interim national government on whatever excuse it is forwarded by forces, who do not believe in the will of the people. Although it may be a good ploy for Chaudhry Shujaat and Chaudhry Parvez to hide behind Pir Pagara, so that there is no further disintegration of PML-Q, which has already been divided after the formation of the forward bloc, yet, it would be suicidal for them if they were found to be once again on the wrong side of democracy. The writer is a freelance columnist. Email: zarnatta@hotmail.com