The Chief Minister of Punjab, Mian Shahbaz Sharif, has predicted that if the socio-political conditions in our country did not take a positive turn Pakistan will be confronting a bloody revolution. In a recent interview, Shahbaz Sharif repeated his frightening prophecy six times. And every time he put forth additional reasons for the inevitability of a bloody revolution. The causes of the would be revolution include, above all, the ongoing injustice, widening gulf between the rich and the poor, and lot of talk but little or no action to resolve the problems of poor. Shahbaz insisted that time was running out and the revolution was around the corner. He also warned the ruling elite to wake up to the reality or be prepared to face the rage and fury of the masses. Surely, 40 years back a Pakistani talking about revolution would have been immediately arrested. Pakistan's alliance with the US against the Soviet Union and street power of the religious activists would not have permitted anyone to organise a revolutionary party which would have destabilised the oppressive system of feudalism and capitalism. The revolutionary talk of the scion of the capitalist class is, therefore, no less than surprising and disconcerting. It should draw the attention of those who really believe in social justice and are willing to bring about a democratic change. The time for empty rhetoric, as Shahbaz pointed out, has passed. Certainly, there is total public distrust in the incumbent political leadership. Nevertheless, the Pakistani public has always been prepared for a fundamental social change, but the leaders have always opposed it. For instance, in the election of the seventies the people responded enthusiastically to the PPP's call for socialism or radical change. However, soon it was discovered that the leaders were not ready to fulfil their commitments that they had made with the masses before the elections. That included providing roti, kapra, and makan to the people. Unfortunately, in five years of its rule the Party delivered nothing of its vital undertaking. The leadership it appeared had used 'socialism' as an election gimmick and not as a doctrine to bring about serious transformation in the ground reality. So the basic question is, will Shahbaz's prediction prove correct, or will the ruling class mend its way and do the needful to prove him wrong. Undoubtedly, to prove Shahbaz wrong would require a credible policy with far-reaching effects which the ruling party so far has shown no desire to undertake, and does not indicate to do so in the future. In addition, the feudal class of Pakistan has come back to power with a vengeance. The country's presidency, premiership and major ministries are occupied either by feudal lords or their representatives, and to expect from them to work as agents of change would be an absurd proposition. In this backdrop, the possibility of a bloody revolution remains very much there. More so, the threat of a revolution is fortified by the conditions prevailing in and around us. For the first time in Pakistan's history, elements in FATA and from across the border in Afghanistan are trying to settle political disputes with us through violence. What started out as a low level, localised conflict has within a few years taken the shape of widespread insurgency. It has gradually drawn in the Pakistan army as well as the US/NATO forces in the conflict, as the insurgency in Afghanistan and Pakistan is interrelated. The US/NATO troops are fighting in Afghanistan, while the Pakistani army is trying decimate the uprising on its side of the border. Then again, the fear of a bloody revolution that Shahbaz has predicted becomes more real with the entry of unprecedented violence in our political affairs. Though some of this violence is of domestic origin, most of it has been smuggled into our land under the cover of War on Terror. CM Punjab has proposed for a corruption-free egalitarian society where justice prevails and the gulf between the haves and have-nots is increasingly reduced, as the effective measure to ward off the chances of a bloody revolution. My readers, the words of the chief minister are worth your attention. The writer is a freelance columnist.