Pakistan is at the crossroads again. Due to gross mismanagement and poor governance there is mass discontent. The status quo is no longer an option. Ten manipulated elections and four martial laws have been counterproductive. There was a similar situation in 1970. To defuse the tension, Yahya Khan, the second khaki dictator, decided to hold the first free and fair elections on the basis of one man, one vote. Till today, that remains the only credible ballot in the country. Ziaul Haq, the third khaki dictator, had a different agenda. Unlike Yahya Khan he had a very mediocre career. In his annual evaluation there were remarks like “not fit to be an officer” yet he managed to become the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and then the president of the country. In 1958, Ayub Khan, the first khaki dictator, knocked out the entire political leadership of the country, including the founding fathers. In 1977, Zia tried a similar stunt. He got rid of the progressive leaders and replaced them with inept and corrupt politicians. Nawaz Sharif, Chaudhry Shujaat, Altaf Hussain, Ghaus Ali Shah and Anwar Saifullah — it is a long list of the political leaders of that era.After destroying civilian institutions he then created a framework for electoral manipulation, starting with his referendum and then followed by local bodies and partyless national elections. Instead of ideology, he played on the divisions in society. The age-old rivalries of baradaris (clans), tribes and sectarianism were revived. He followed the British method of divide and rule to prolong his misrule. While on the international front he indulged in multinational conflicts, in the domestic arena he strictly followed a policy of the status quo, i.e. do nothing. He often boasted that his government had committed no mistakes, which meant no gain and no loss, just stagnation and internal collapse of institutions like the demise of the once mighty Soviet Union.Musharraf, the fourth khaki dictator, started off well but then fell into the same trap. First it was the fixed referendum followed by manipulated elections in 2002 that brought the PML-Q into power. It was the proverbial out of the pan and into the fire scenario for the nation. From the inept and corrupt government of the PML-N led by the Sharifs, the reins of the country came into the hands of the Chaudhrys who then convinced the president to get elected in uniform. It was perhaps the biggest stunt of our times. Even the mighty Ayub Khan took off his uniform to contest the presidential elections in 1964. Fearing impeachment in 2008, Musharraf had to resign and go home in disgrace. The time is ripe for another honest ballot to get rid of the corrupt and inept politicians who have managed to get elected through electoral manipulation. Our next door neighbour India has succeeded in holding credible ballot exercises while we seriously lag behind. In the recently held national elections, the ruling Congress Party lost to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was able to assume control of New Delhi after defeating the BJP; the will of the people prevailed in all cases. Currently, the khakis are fighting for our future. Once Operation Zarb-e-Azb has been accomplished, they can then focus on the internal political mess and mismanagement that they had created earlier. Certainly, an honest ballot is possible if the khakis desire, otherwise it will not happen. The corrupt parliamentarians, together with the baboos and qazis have no interest in holding a credible ballot as it will knock them out. After a long time the khakis are under credible, professional leadership. General Raheel Sharif hails from a family of soldiers. His uncle, Major Aziz Bhatti Shaheed, and brother, Major Shabbir Sharif Shaheed, were awarded the highest awards for gallantry. Military historians rate both of them very high. Major Bhatti is credited with saving Lahore in the 1965 war while Major Shabbir captured enemy territory in 1971 on the western front when East Pakistan fell. It is perhaps destiny that the younger brother has been bestowed with an opportunity to cleanse and secure the very land for which his elders sacrificed by laying down their lives. The clarity with which General Raheel Sharif has decided to cleanse the motherland is praiseworthy. Zia took us on this path, Musharraf and Kayani played on both sides. Now that the khakis have decided to clear the mess a new page has been opened in the history of the country. It may very well prove to be a decisive turnaround. GHQ-supported right wing politics have proved to be deadly for Pakistan and it is time to pull out of this approach.The election monitoring cell within the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which was set up during Zulfikar Bhutto’s term in office, has collected a lot of data. If made public it may prove to be the beginning of the end for establishment politicians who continue to rob the nation. An honest ballot may provide them with an honourable exit instead of humiliation through the ruthless accountability they deserve. Quaid’s Pakistan may finally emerge through an honest electoral exercise supervised and monitored by the khakis, ably led by General Raheel Sharif. It is the only way forward for Pakistan and its 200 million suffering souls. The GHQ can then focus on strengthening the khakis, leaving the state in the hands of credible politicians duly elected by the people in a free and fair election. History is kind to individuals who give, not take. The politics of plots, plazas, loot and plunder must come to an end, making way for nation building and curbing the growth of empires. General Raheel Sharif will then be remembered as a soldier who revived and restored Pakistan, enabling his comrades to finally hang up their boots and go home. The writer is the ex-chairman of the Pakistan Science Foundation