In an interview with this paper, MQM leader Altaf Hussain has urged the PPP to carry out the reforms agenda of Dr Tahirul Qadri before the elections. A failure to do so, Altaf warned, could make the MQM go separate ways. With the kind of unrest experienced by the country, postponement of elections or even insinuation towards that end would be viewed with cynicism. It is hard to dispute his concern that there are a whole bunch of ills confronting Pakistan, most ominous of them being terrorism, which have to be stamped out. Yet at the same time care must be taken that the terrorists do not achieve what they have been trying to do: scaring the people. The countrymen must stay firm in their resolve to move towards a smooth democratic transition and elect with freedom those who they think can lead them to a better future.If the electoral system needs to be corrected as the MQM chief pointed out, an effort must be made to overcome these during the coming weeks by the ECP as well as the parities. This would do well to defend against the atmosphere of uncertainty. Democracy is the best system available. And the bottom line that guarantees the success of this system is that the primary condition of the elections is met according to its schedule. This would not only bring vigour into the system but also with the passage of time enable it to function without any crutches.