President Asif Ali Zardari has said that certain mercenary elements, 'these spent cartridges', are targeting the government on TV channels. This reminds one of the statements by ex-President General Pervaiz Musharraf before his final disgraceful exit from power. He had also termed the respected ex-military men gunning for his head at the time as 'spent cartridges'. The problem with history is that it tends to repeat itself with poetic justice. And when it does, the spent cartridges work better than the loaded ones. -DR IRAFAN ZAFAR, Islamabad, December 26