As newly elected members of the National Assembly and the Provincial Assemblies prepare to file into their respective buildings on Monday, the nation watches on in a combination of hope, fear and disgust. Hopeful, that perhaps this time around the newly elected representatives will live up to their promises that led them to an shocking victory of sorts in the General Elections held last month. Fearful, that perhaps the military and the President may step in once again and dissolve the assemblies, and the hopes of the nation, will once again be snuffed out. And disgusted, that nearly a month after the elections, major political parties still cannot decide on who will be the next Prime Minister of this fragile country.

Asif Zardari, co-chairperson of the Pakistan People’s Party has played quite a remarkable game. Pitting leaders within the party from Punjab and Sindh against each other, and with the disappearance of all corruption cases filed against him, his path to the Prime Minister’s office seems clear, save a few obstacles.

But the nation deserves better. Despite massive corruption and mismanagement of the country by both the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, the majority of the voters decided to forgive their past failings, in the hope that the Constitution will be upheld, that perhaps this election will show that the personal gains of the leaders is not what matters, but the survival of the country.

Pakistan has lost too much. We’ve lost leaders, a chunk of the nation [1971 anyone?] and had so many military operations in various parts of the country that the nation has lost track of who was the enemy and who really is a friend. At a time, when the petals on the graves of many a victim of suicide bombings are still fresh, political leaders like Asif Zardari must remember that this country is on the brink of chaos, and creating more uncertainty will push the beleaguered nation off the edge of sanity and into the depths of depression, or worse yet, anarchy.