Sir: After 35 years of unchecked plunder of state assets and real estate by the elite, massive institutionalised tax evasion, abuse of power and ridicule of the constitution and judiciary by those who consider themselves above the law, the patience of the poor masses seems to have finally taken a toll on them. Poverty and injustice have driven people against the wall, and today we are witness to mental depression, leading to murder, suicide and killings of innocent women and children, with the state looking the other way. Over $ 15 billion was given in aid for involvement in the Afghanistan conflict, and it all seems to have vanished or been pocketed by a few. Even this grave crisis has not deterred the elected federal government from issuing hundreds of SROs giving tax exemptions, refunds and rebates amounting to Rs 490 billion in a country that already has one of the lowest tax-to-GDP ratios. Going back one remembers how, while thousands were starving and hundreds children were dying in Thar, the ruling party of Sindh was busy celebrating the Sindh Festival, at a cost of over Rs500 million. Similarly in Punjab the party in power was busy celebrating the Punjab Youth Festival, making a mockery of creating useless world records, while the desperately poor, having lost all hope for justice, were committing suicides. I hope the privileged sections of society and the middle class, which is usually the voice of conscience, stand up and demand justice. As far as our traditional ruling elite are concerned, they seem to have given up on this country. Malik Tariq Ali Lahore