[DAWN] WHAT will it take to slap our ruling civil and military elite out of its obsession with egotism, triviality and misplaced notions of honour? It can't get more absurd. A nuclear-capable state with one of the largest standing armies in the world is held hostage by its home-bred terrorists. Now, on the one hand we have our 'statesmen' and generals bending over to appease those slaughtering soldiers and citizens. And, on the other, the same sages can't stop frothing and preaching the pride and dignity of their respective institutions, parliament and the army.Is parliament's supremacy now entrenched with its members having proclaimed it in thundering speeches? Has the honour and dignity of the army been restored after the army chief fired warning shots amidst cheering commandos? We have lost more than 50,000 of us to violence. We have had heads of FC soldiers severed and used as footballs. Whether it is Fata, Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
, Islamabad's district courts or Rawalpindi's sabzi mandi, the state's writ is nowhere in sight. And yet our power wielders can't stop their bickering to focus on our existential crisis?
In consideration of the title, and fairness to India and Pakistan, I thought it only appropriate.