“What is going to happen?” is the most frequently heard query in any social interface in Pakistan, given the uncertainty surrounding the politico-economic situation in the country, which is further compounded by recurrent devious acts of terrorism. Although the real knowledge of the future and the unknown resides in Almighty’s domain, yet the God gifted ability to join the visible dots and analyse to project a rational outcome is well within the human capacity. ‘The truth is you don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow. Life is a crazy ride, and nothing is guaranteed’. Nevertheless, the anxiety level in the society is touching new heights despite relaxant administered through speeches and promising narratives by the state. While the usual bureaucratic ‘All OK’ reports seem to work well with the top hierarchy in the helms of affairs, yet, the fact remains that the public at large is highly demoralised and disillusioned with loss of much faith in the otherwise trusted state institutions. The writing on the wall is that one cannot expect to progress by putting the horse before the cart; likewise, it is futile to expect economic and security constancy without a strong and truly unrestricted democratic government that comes into power through free and fair elections. Any compromise on that principle or a short-circuit scheming that has mostly been the case in the past, is unlikely to display a ray of hope to the disenchanted public.

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