THE future of the whole country, it seems at the moment, rests on a demand for elections and the threat of another march to Islamabad. The election should be held in its own time and preferably when the intended electoral reforms are completed.

The government is refusing to be `blackmailed` by the opposition`s demands, just as when the latter was in power, it did not accede to the then opposition`s demand of an early election. Practically, it is nothing but a role reversal. However, the opposition at that time had also stayed in parliament and refrained from creating disruption and chaos on the streets.

The opposition today is playing a negative role by whipping up emotional hysteria among its followers, making them believe that heavens would f all if elections were not held immediately and in the desired manner with preferably the desired results.

Instead of threatening the government and holding the country hostage, the opposition should withdraw the resignation of its parliamentarians and play the role of a positive opposition within the confines of parliament where it could be more effective as opposed to the present strategy of displaying street power. If the opposition really wants to serve the people, the best way to do it is to play its part in upholding the Constitution and strengthening the rule of law.

On its part, the coalition government should not create unnecessary problems for the opposition. It is high time the government and the opposition shunned their individual hubris, and started acting sensibly in the greater interest of the country and its people. This would need maturity political and otherwise and one would expect them all to have some semblance of it.

The country is marred by a number of grave crises, all of which are being aggravated by political instability.

Pakistan is on the verge of economic destruction and inflation is at an all-time high. There is a fresh wave of terrorism across the country. And, as if all this is not enough, there is a threat of drought in certain parts of the country, people don`t have water to drink, the crops are standingunwatered, and children are dying of cholera. Is it the time to do politics of divisiveness? Given the situation, anything that diverts the attention of the government machinery f rom the real issues can only create more hardships for the masses; the masses in whose name politics is conducted by the few. Let us all hope sanity will prevail sooner rather than later.

It is a sheer case of hoping against hope, but that apparently is the only thing we, the masses in this country, can probably do.

Anwar Hussain Karachi