Dateline : December 16, 1996. Time 8 AM. The people of Pakistan had gone to the polls the day before. All eyes are glued to the drama being unfolded at the PTV Election Reporting Cell. The ebullient showman of PTV, Tariq Aziz, garbed in a dark grayish shalwar qameez, tousled hair dyed to a tone that belied his age, a slight smirk permanently fixed on his face, is exchanging a forced chat with his co-host, the bemused Mehtab Rashdi, with her ever-present twinkle in her eyes, a heart-warming laugh, and a scintillating accent, both anchoring the show from the Islamabad studios. On one side of the gorgeous stage are the three "experts" who, amazingly, are really speaking what they, themselves believe in. The ubiquitous censor-man is on a much needed vacation. The political advisors at PTV have been sent to enjoy the surroundings at Changa Manga. To keep the Man with the Opaque Mirror, better known as Azhar Sohail from entering the studios, the authorities have made him the new Press Attaché in the Pakistani Embassy in Uganda for a period of five years. The viewers do not see surreptitious activities at PTV. Things are for real. Once. This is open season !

The election results are pouring in. As usual, there are quite a few parties out to win the game. But there are changes in the whole scenario. This is 1996. Pakistan has changed. The people have changed. Their mentality and attitudes have changed. Their affiliations have changed. Their viewpoints have changed. Their thinking has changed. And, Hallelujah, the Armed Forces have changed. The bureaucracy has changed. The politicians have changed. And, the election results have highlighted these changes. This is 1996. A year-long process that began on November 09, 1995, has led to the transformation of this great motherland. Events had gone out of hand. The super-charged atmosphere in Sindh, especially the pseudo-civil war and the Operation Clean-up in Karachi and Hyderabad, was destroying the very essence of this country. The Indian "Rakshash" was arming itself to the hilt and menacingly moving towards the border. Premier Rao was threatening war. His lackeys in Kashmir were organizing a Holocaust in Kashmir.

The situation in Karachi was at its worst. Citizens were being killed daily by terrorists. Cops and Rangers were sitting ducks for these desperadoes. People were afraid to get out of their houses and settled upon living a quiet existence. Dacoities were at their peak. CPLC lost count of the number of cars stolen daily. It was no more a news item of importance. MQM activists were being hounded mercilessly and jails were brimming with these Mohajirs. Strikes and rallies were the normal order of business. Karachi shops were presenting a desolate look. Mayhem was the rule. There was total chaos. Even the Chief Minister preferred to move around in Islamabad and the interior of Sindh, rather than staying in Karachi.

In these tragic circumstances, the politicians of Pakistan excelled in making a mockery of democracy, political thought, and parliamentary procedures. The National Assembly, for which democracy-lovers struggled for eleven gloomy years, for which the citizens of Pakistan so enthusiastically voted for, and for which millions of rupees and person-hours were flowingly spent, had become the venue for tomfoolery, accusations, innuendoes, insinuations, and legal wrangling. The National Assembly took on a Kindergarten type situation where members were behaving as if they were under the tutelage of Marie Montessori. The National Assembly started presenting a forlorn and impotent posture, where members went either to fight or to snooze. They had conveniently forgotten the Parliament’s prime objective, that is, to frame legislation and map out a sense of direction for the country. The Parliament had conveniently neglected to demand accountability from anyone. The Assembly had abandoned its responsibility to understand the myriad problems faced by the voters of this country. The National Assembly had forgotten its status as the true representative body of the marvelous people of Pakistan.

The citizens of Pakistan as always demanded of the Armed Forces to do their constitutional duty. Thus the brave and valiant Jawans were guarding the lands from the ever-menacing and always hostile Bharat Army. The forces were keeping the spillover from the Afghan imbroglio at bay. They were at full alert and ever-ready for any and all contingencies. They were doing the job they were expected to do. But, of course, some people wanted the Army to take over the administration of the country once again. Unfortunately for these defeatist elements, the Army adamantly stood its principles and told these elements to go to hell. They admonished the politicians to clean up their own stables. Their stance was explicit and forthright. "Thou creath the mess, thou removeth the mess" They got full and unstinting support from the venerable President who also discounted any notions of militaristic solutions. In the meantime, events progressed from the frying pan into the fire.

Gradually, the country was becoming a replica of hell. Karachi was an inferno, while interior Sindh was hostage to the Dakoo Raj. Balochistan was in the midst of a nationalist movement in response to the Federal Government’s unilateral decision to cut down on gas royalties to this Province. NWFP saw a resurgence of the campaign against the Kalabagh Dam and the arrogant behavior of the Chief Minister. Punjab was in total disarray. The new Chief Minister was a pathetic joke perpetrated on the Land of Five Rivers. Some PDF members were in a belligerent mood with obvious covert support of the PML(N). Overall, the politicians did not give two hoots to the scenario being in effect in the nation. It was a classic case of Nero fiddling while Rome was burning. There were lot of questions but no answers. There were problems but no solutions. There were enemies but no friends.

In this abyss of darkness, the citizens were perplexed, scared, and confused. There were no protectors of property, life, and city. Their lives were just about of no value. Their property and businesses were insecure. They were afraid to send children to school. There was mass migration and resettlement. Ethnic polarization became a common feature. Bomb threats were regular. Rocket launchers were used with impunity. In this situation, the people had no recourse but to look among themselves for a pragmatic solution. Finally on December 25, 1995, some citizens from all over the country got together in Islamabad for an All-Citizens Conference. They were brought together by circumstances. They were cajoled into talking sense, letting out their feelings, emotions, and complaints. They blew off steam. They really did. These denizens were not politicians. They were social workers, educationists, industrialists, laborers, advocates, sports personalities, and people from other walks of life. They talked, argued, fought, and shouted but they inched their way towards a practical solution to save Pakistan.

The week-long parleys sowed the seeds for further deliberations. The participants agreed to go back to their areas and try to convince their brethren to continue to work for peace, unity, and a greater Pakistan. Mini-summits were then organized in different sectors and places. Opposite political parties were invited to attend these and thrash out the problems. The external enemy tried to induce dissension and discontent among the general populace. But, this time they faced stiff resistance from the people. They were unmasked by these citizens, and the mischief-mongers among them were given the boot. Inspite of all these, tensions would flare up on quite a few issues and viewpoints. There was still distrust and many of them did not want to lose their hold over the masses. Nonetheless, inspite of these hurdles, the pragmatists were optimistic. They kept on prodding the die-hards to soften up.

Progressively, as things moved forward, there was a lot of improvement and the atmosphere was changing with a sense of considerable hope. In the early part of 1996, a high-level MQM delegation was invited to a sumptuous feast with the trappings of the traditional Sindhi hospitality at Sann. Abdul Waheed Areshar, the head of Jiye Sindh movement was the genial host. The lunch was attended by non-Mohajir and non-Sindhi settlers too. A battery of local and foreign journalists were present to record this moment for posterity. Still, Kalashnikovs and other arms were in full and open display. There was one significant change. Except for a solitary Jiye Sindh flag fluttering above the residence of G.M.Syed, there were no flags at all. In March 1996, the Jiye Sindh top people were given a rousing welcome at 90 Azizabad, in Karachi. The area was gaily decorated with pictures of the leaders of the two groups. Banners were put up in Sindhi and Urdu advocating brotherhood, friendship, and unity. As always, songs were blaring from loudspeakers. Abida Perveen, the Mehran nightingale, had recorded a Urdu-Sindhi mixed song which called for love, joy, and togetherness. The Great Mohajir Quaid in an hour-long oration direct from Mill Hill, London dwelt on the true spirit of camaraderie and offered to visit each and every village in Sindh to promote peace and amity as soon as he came over to Pakistan. At 9 PM, the viewers were pleasantly surprised to watch a rare five minutes in the PTV nightly news highlighting the whole function. Things were really changing !

By the advent of April, there was a semblance of cohesion between the political parties both at the Federal level and on the Provincial stage too. The Council of Common Interests met in July which thrashed out most of the outstanding issues pending over all these years. In a surprise move, Asif Ali Zardari and Shahbaz Sharif, announced a joint venture that envisaged the setting up of a state-of-the-art gigantic petro-chemical project. The Bhutto government woke up from slumber and lethargy with a startling effect, and in a few months matured as an efficient government. Certain minister were quietly asked to tender in their resignations to make way for able administrators among the legislators. Things moved at a better pace. The new COAS was determined to keep the Army at a distance from running the country. President Leghari warned the legislators to shape up and perform their duties. The emphais was on concrete results and not purely on rhetorics. All political cases were withdrawn and even the MQM supremo was requested to come back to Karachi with honor and dignity.

The economy which was hostage to the dictates of IMF and the World Bank was in a shambles. In May, the government convened a three day conference of 500 businessmen and industrialists in Islamabad which was attended by nearly all concerned officials. It was presided over by the Premier who sat throughout the three day proceedings. Even the Leader of the Opposition was present with full protocol. The businessmen got an unconditional chance to vent out their feelings and many did so. The Conference charted out a map of economic progress for the next five years which was approved unanimously. The consensus was on revenue mobilization with stress on a kinder, gentler taxation regime.

On December 15, 1996, the elections were held. A new alliance consisting of those disillusioned by PDF and PML, and who wanted Pakistan to follow a new course of action, and who had become more vocal, more organized, and more recognized was formed. The MQM, PPI, BNM, Jiye Sindh, etc. merged into this alliance which was given the nomenclature PAKISTAN CITIZENS PARTY (PCP). Mohajir candidates won in interior Sindh. Dr. Qadir Magsi won hands down in Hyderabad. A Balochi leader got elected in Lyari. Old horses in PPP and PML were put to pasture. Many feudals lost in a wave of rebellion against their autocratic rule. There was a near annihilation of feudal lords and jagirdars all over the rural country. In the interior of Balochistan, a young Baloch leader, educated at the Ball State University in Indiana, USA, won an absolute victory in his constituency. A new breed of politicians took over. The PCP won nearly 60 % of the seats and got a five year mandate from the citizens of Pakistan. President Leghari was expected to invite the young Baloch to be the next Prime Minister. The country was in a buoyant mood. The country was once again a nation that Allama Iqbal dreamed of and that which Quaid-e-Azam made it into a reality. It was Pakistan once again !

Dateline : November 01, 1995. Time 8 AM. I came out of the Twilight Zone. I had overslept. I had to go to my office soon. I glanced at the morning newspaper. 28 killed, 40 injured, 75 vehicles burnt. Riots in Hyderabad. Curfew type scenario. These were news of yesterday’s Day of Mourning. Should I go back to sleep ? To continue with my dream ? No. It was time to wake up to reality !