It is time we started working on a war-footing to efficiently deliver services through improved governance and unimpeachable integrity. While the US/NATO troops keep using airpower too often against 'suspects' with dubious results, the situation stays shady for them. In Afghanistan, the Taliban appear to be calling the shots, generally, which influences FATA in a big way. Tragically the massive use of drones/missiles, so far, appears to be killing innocent civilians too often. By a quirk of fate, marriage celebrations appear to attract atrocious attacks which invariably produce casualties among women and children. The most recent of such shocks was the slaughter of 40 persons including 11 women and 21 children besides many more injured in Shah Wali Kot/Kandahar. It was an assembly of the local people exulting at a marriage party. Karzai, who has quite often made mild protests at such happenings earlier on, was obliged to pinpoint: "We cannot win the fight against terrorism with air strikes." He said: "This is my first demand of the new president of the United States, to put an end to civilian casualties." As if this was not bad enough, the powers-that-be killed eight people in Waziristan the next day and 12 in Landikotal/Khyber Agency later on in the last week. The Pakistani elected government condemned such loss of life in indiscriminate attacks by foreign troops. Later on the 'insurgents' underscored their disposition by seizing 13 trucks in Khyber Pass carrying supplies for NATO. The drivers were also taken hostage. Pakistani forces tried to mount a rescue operation by dispatching helicopter gunships but the terrible terrain helped the 'insurgents' out. A perusal of the history of British Raj or the British memorabilia would carry strange experiences of their civil servants/armymen who happened to get involved with the area. By any criterion, Khyber Pass makes a wonderful study but impossible to conquer; much less to hold subservient. The British learnt their lesson of avoiding direct control of Afghanistan or Pakistani FATA after suffering huge losses of manpower etc. So they devised a system whereby they maintained their influence through carrot and stick. In later years of their empire, the use of stick was rather less. However, given their genius/commitment for governance within the legal framework, the British as well their proxies of local origin, exploited the local traditions to maintain their projected cost-benefit ratio in managing their initiative beyond the borders of the civil areas of NWFP. It required the character and integrity of people like Churchill, Olaf Caroe, Rooskeppel etc who performed their jobs in this dangerous area with the sole objective of promoting the interest of the Raj without fear or favour. These standards appear to have suffered a setback as Mountbatten played his dubious game before and after the dawn of Indian partition heralding independence of the two dominions. Pakistan's first decade of independence saw a lot of political mayhem inspired by the struggle for power between the bureaucracy and the politicians after the early deaths of the Quaid-i-Azam and Liaquat Ali Khan. This tug-of war was the outcome of the diverse nature of East and West Pakistan. The latter had a monopoly of the civil services of the Raj-vintage. It was illiterate by and large and feudal wherein the people were timid and politically downtrodden. On the contrary, the ones in East Pakistan were better educated, though poor, and politically very conscious. Thus bureaucratic 'saviours' like Ghulam Muhammad and Iskander Mirza belonging to West Pakistan seized power through intrigues and inducements duly abetted by the army high command and the law of necessity-ridden judiciary under Justice Munir. However, they could not survive long as supremacy of law had been supplanted by the Law of Necessity. So as the moral authority of regimes became suspect, it encouraged the army to seize power and govern directly like it happens in a Banana Republic. The hallmark of those troubled years was that despite the depressing political situation, the bureaucracy/army tended to be, generally, honest. Since 1958 we have had military regimes intermittently with the elected ones in West Pakistan as the other wing broke away as a consequence of our failures on and off the field. Our last Pinochet handed over power to an elected government reluctantly after enjoying the same for nine years. During that time he was the 'master of all he surveyed' except for last two months of his tenure. Surrounded by carpetbaggers/acolytes, as is usual in our society, he poured scorn on the 73-constitution with abandon. He earned the morbid distinction of imprisoning judges of the Supreme and High Courts which was unknown. Due to lack of mature understanding and sound advice or it may be the blinding effect of the power-drunk incumbency, that he handled the FATA rather roughly. This has led to the complete breakdown of the political administration which can be dangerous in the long run. As there is, practically, little communication with the community, mayhem, corruption and hostility towards the government appear to be ruling the roost. Consequently, the people in the settled areas of NWFP feel awfully insecure while they wrestle with economic decline, unemployment and the daunting threat of hunger due to shortage of atta. It is conveniently said that the flour/wheat is smuggled across into Afghanistan. That may be so but for an average Pakistani, the same is being done by influential people. Moreover, this happens because of the corrupt practices prevailing precariously. One can make some allowance for the tough terrain but the fact remains that the governance also betrays the public interest. Hence the poor people in the areas bordering Afghanistan remain under the threat of starvation because of the mischief of the system if not its inherent incompetence. Stories of corruption in the provincial set-up are brewing like it was in the days of MMA rule under Musharraf. While the latter was an autocratic ruler with a democratic faade, an elected government can't afford to adopt his ways. The US agencies are busy painting doomsday-scenarios about Pakistan due to the mess created in these sensitive areas. Apparently this is a tactic to push the elected government to match/improve Musharraf's policy vis--vis the Afghan quagmire etc. In the process of fighting 'insurgency', more than a million people have abandoned their homes in the Southern districts while the disturbances in the agencies, particularly Mohmand and Bajaur, have also forced many people to flee. The same holds good for Swat etc. Peshawar appears to be bearing the brunt of such outrage while some of the 'refugees' have come to Pindi/Islamabad. As the government's relief efforts are tentative, such people are in dire straits. Such suffering can produce despondency and oblige many to join the 'insurgents'. It is time we started working on a war-footing to efficiently deliver services through improved governance and unimpeachable integrity. To perk up people's morale and faith in their country, despite the legacy of sufferings and deprivation for long years, such steps are indispensable. Anything less would be tantamount to playing with fire. The writer is a former secretary interior E-mail: imnor@brain.net.pk