There are two great articles in the Guardian today. The first is Ayesha Ijaz Khan’s request the the west should not give up on Pakistan, where she summarizes the past 2 years and where Pakistan is heading.

Much like Musharraf, Zardari offers words of concern for places like Swat but few actions. Actions are reserved for political opponents like the Sharif brothers and their PML, which was doing an administratively decent job of ruling the Punjab until it was derailed a few days ago, and for civil society activists like those involved in the lawyers’ movement, who are once again threatening a long march if the real chief justice is not restored. The mere thought of this has led Zardari to topple the democratically elected government in Punjab, from where the long march would have commenced.

He has not learned from Musharraf’s experience. He cannot suppress an idea whose time has come. He will either have to restore Chaudhry, who most Pakistanis look upon as a symbol of justice, or risk Musharraf’s fate. There is also a lesson here for the western powers. It is time to let go of partnerships with individuals such as Musharraf and Zardari, who cannot deliver on the fight against extremism, and look instead to partner with the Pakistani nation, civil society activists and professionals, who have a far greater stake in the system and want their country to progress and function democratically.

In his inaugural address, President Obama, in addressing the Muslim world, said, “we will extend a hand if you are willing to un-clench your fist”. It may be too much to ask those who are accustomed to corruption and deceit to un-clench their fists, but how about extending a hand to those who are on the right side of history and who are not willing to back down from their democratic ideals?

Tariq Ali’s “Pakistan’s drift into the hands of extremists” lays out a very similiar picture, bringing the US decision to send more troops to Afghanistan into the equation. He closes with:

Domestically, the country is a mess. The People’s party has learnt and forgotten nothing. Corruption is rife and stories circulate linking the money being paid by bankers directly to the president’s house. Add to this Zardari’s refusal to honour an election pledge restoring an independent judiciary, and his decision to manipulate tame judges to disqualify his opponents has not gone down well. The controversy was aggravated by Zardari’s move to dismiss the elected government in the country’s most populous and strategically important province, the Punjab (capital: Lahore), and impose direct rule, after its chief minister apparently refused to accept a bribe in the shape of a lucrative business deal in return for abandoning the fight to restore the chief justice fired by the military leader over a year ago.

The failures of this government and its inability to defend the country’s interests or its population from drones or terrorist attacks are paving the way for the return of the army to power as a way of avoiding a serious split within its own ranks. All that is awaited is a green light from the US embassy in Islamabad. Not that this would solve anything, but it might create the illusion of stability for a few months. It’s no good Pakistani politicians mumbling that this is “our Mumbai”. The fact is that, over the last year, the Zardari government has done a great deal for itself and its clients, but nothing for the people or the country. The more Pakistan drifts, the more opportunities offer themselves to the extremists.

Reading all of the international and domestic press since the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team makes me ask: Where is Pakistan going and how do we save it?