Your insightful article was also picked up by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, our country’s number one national broadsheet. Happy New Year!

But I think Kashmir was interconnected to this whole mess, and it is only when this is addressed that not just Pakistan, but India and perhaps the entire war on terrorism will come to a much more just and peaceful conclusion.

Please see http://kashmuj.blogspot.com/

I certainly don’t think the masses of Pakistan are fools.

Free and fair elections are an important step toward a vibrant, democratic and secure Pakistan.

But who speaks for the impoverished majority?

Ultimately, their interests and preferences have to be channeled within a political process and exercised by chosen representatives.

As you indicate, the elite on the whole does not represent their best interests. Political and economic power in Pakistan is concentrated in the hands of a select few: feudal leaders, a civilian bureaucracy, military and intelligence figures, the business elite, etc.

The feudal system is a major roadblock toward the empowerment of the Pakistani masses.

But — aside from some sort of revolutionary movement in which the major parties and power brokers are thrown out and a new leadership comes to power representing the majority of Pakistanis who earn less than $2 a day, have incomplete access to primary, vital services — how do you suggest change to come about?

Please provide a concrete methodology.

The lesson from Pakistan’s history is despite the fact that its elite as a whole have failed the people, their hold on power is long lasting.

In the end, they must be constrained legally and held to account via civil society, the media, and regular elections.

Things are changing. But in the interim, the current actors are not going away. The must come together on the rules of the game. Personalities must be subordinate to laws.