A large number of major attacks were carried out against civilians in Pakistan in the month of June, while attacks on security forces continued unabated. Other than the menace of terrorism and the generally prevailing lawlessness, the shortage of energy sources is hitting the country hard, and economic growth has been halted as not enough electricity and natural gas are available to run industries. Power cuts are rampant for general consumers with load shedding of 12-20 hours in major cities. Foreign reserves have sunk to such a level that Pakistan is seeking a bailout package of up to $5 billion from the IMF to pay its earlier overdue loans. Pakistan is facing terrorism, lawlessness, the emergence of states within the state challenging the government's authority, an exhausted economy, power and fuel shortages affecting everyone, and rampant corruption which is eating away the economy to such an extent that a loan package is required to repay previous loans installments. Against this backdrop, the role of a leader is to lead, inspire and steer the nation out of crisis. As a result, we were stunned the other day to see Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif declare in the National Assembly that a high treason case would be initiated against ex-President Pervez Musharraf for abrogating the constitution. It is beyond the ability of any sane mind to understand how a powerless, under house arrest Musharraf can harm the government to the extent that his trial is now a top priority for Nawaz. Shall we call it a personal vendetta or extreme hypocrisy on the part of Nawaz and Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry that they want to limit the treason trial to the events of Nov. 3, 2007 (when Musharraf suspended the constitution for a few weeks)? The overthrow of Nawaz's second government on Oct. 12, 1999 is not on the court's agenda as the Chief Justice was then an active part of the court bench which not only legitimized the overthrow of Nawaz's government but also gave unqualified powers to Musharraf to amend the constitution. This issue needs no further comment. Perhaps we are returning to the 1990s when vendetta, feud and revenge were the goals of government. It is a pity that after decades, Pakistan is still a leaderless nation. Masood Khan, Jubail
