IF someone were to say we have moved a step closer to the abyss, one can be certain there’ll be many critics who would accuse that person of indulging in the art of the understatement, because they believe the country has already taken a freefall into a bottomless pit. But has it?

In a nation of nearly a quarter of a billion people wracked by poverty and all the issues that flow from it, it is easy to become a prophet of doom and gloom and lose all hope and perspective. That Pakistan is polarised, each one of us can see; but few of us can see a way out of this quagmire.

One can focus on the dire, fragile state of the economy, look at the dismal state of governance, assess the ramifications of the confrontation between the various potent players of the state, each of whom wants a greater chunk of power for themselves — no matter how worthy the terms in which they couch their efforts — and one can only cower in fear at the deteriorating security situation/ terror attacks.

Despite these factors, this columnist remains an optimist. Being an optimist is far better than being a pessimist, eternally waiting for the next disaster, for Armageddon. However, there is a fine line between seeing a silver lining in every cloud and being utterly delusional.

More directly, it means that Pakistan’s key institutions and players are set on a collision course and, over the coming days and weeks, it is going to........

© Dawn