Whatever may happen, we must retain whatever sense of humour we have. Take the British, they may have their shortcomings, as do we all, but generally speaking they do have a fine sense of humour which has seen them through many a troubled time.

As to sanity, our new foreign minister, Khurshid Kasuri, made a sensible statement the other day. The country's foremost foreign policy priority, he said, is the improvement in relations with India. Khurshid in the past has done his share of flip- flopping but perhaps maturity has finally come his way and some of his father's characteristics are emerging. We must hope that he now means what he says, and will devote himself to this top priority and see that substantial progress is made.

This may not be too easy, taking into account the 'patriotic' brand of his fellow countrymen who by and large seem to lack sense, to the extent that one of our national newspapers on November 27 editorialized on his statement and actually 'warned' Kasuri: "Is the prime minister innocently following the logical homegrown agenda while the foreign minister is pursuing a more devious policy, inspired by foreign powers bent on forcing India's wishes on Pakistan ......... we will be watching with close attention exactly what Mr Jamali and Mr Kasuri as well as Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan say on this issue in the days to come. The people of Pakistan will not tolerate the bargaining away of their direct political or indirect economic sovereignity."

Which sovereignty - political or otherwise - is the editorial writer talking about? We must try and make peace with India, and settle our differences on the best possible terms, the terms being the volume of strength possessed by each country.

One blazing headline on November 30: 'Durrani begins NWFP Islamization, moves into action soon after being elected CM'. The sleeping beauty has just awoken, having slept soundly since the last days of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1977, so for that matter have many of his fellow Frontier parliamentarians. 'Amid thumping of desks, the chief minister declared ban on all taverns and gambling dens and directed all district administrations to immediately implement it.' This is old hat. To further boost the Islamization process, the chief minister, the choice of all the parties that make up his assembly, has ordered that the drivers and conductors of buses and coaches who refuse to halt their vehicles at prayer times will be punished 'according to law'.Apart from having ordered that no public transport will be allowed to be fitted with taperecorders and VCRs, 'we cannot have VCRs and tape recorders in passenger vehicles in our province,' he stated. Blissfully oblivious of centuries-old practice in the subcontinent, he has also decreed that there will be separate places for women for prayers and ablutions at bus stands. The bus stand bit is somewhat puzzling.

As far as writing on the women in our assemblies and the hope that they will perform wonders, my column last week has been subjected to a barrage of derision. How naive to imagine that the majority of those females who occupy the reserved seats are there to fight for anyone's rights, their own rights being fully secured. They are there as status symbols. Wives, sisters, daughters, nieces, cousins, buddies and favour-collectors and so forth of our political heavyweights make up the larger number.

On November 25, an AFP report filed from Islamabad indicates that crimes against women are rising alarmingly. The criminal and highly dishonourable 'honour killings' are not only on the rise but are spreading into areas where they formerly were unknown. Murders are now done with impunity for trivialities such as a protest against a forced marriage, merely being alone with a man, a glance which may be misconstrued to indicate other than an innocent relationship. Then there are the injuries, such as burning. Hospitals report a great rise in the number of women being treated for burns on their faces, the upper and lower parts of her body, none of which can wash as mere accidents.

Apparently and most believably, sixty per cent of the women of Pakistan are not only unaware of their rights but are totally incapable of even contemplating standing up for themselves. They are truly helpless victims, with no recourse to law or to any form of justice - entirely at the mercy of their male relatives. The Human Rights Commission and the other women's organizations, which are fighting crimes against women and formidable odds, all relate why successes are few and far between, how violence is on the rise, 'because the prosecution rate is negligible ..... and men know they can get away with it.'

We have twice had a woman prime minister, once for twenty months and the second time for three years. Granted, it was the same woman. But even she was helpless - or perhaps uninterested - when it came to making any attempt to better the lot of her beloved awami sisters. On this front, she failed miserably. So it is highly unlikely that the favoured women now sitting in our assemblies will be able to, or wish to, do any better. We now have, so far, one woman minister at the centre, just one.

But we must not give up. What we need are the right kind of women in our legislative bodies, women who have the will and the intent to turn things around for the female population of this country. Just take the small and remote antipodean country of New Zealand, a country of immigrants from all over the world. It has its womenfolk firmly at the helm. Its governor-general, the prime minister, the chief justice and a handful of cabinet ministers are women and they are all doing a fine job - so say their countrypeople. But then, New Zealand was the first country to give its womenfolk the right to vote, and thus the dividends to the nation.

Our women have had the right to vote from the very outset, but sadly it has so far paid few dividends. In the world around us, time has capsulated whilst here at home it has stood still. If what is left of Jinnah's Pakistan (or even less) on the map of the world in Anno Domini 3001, perhaps some progress will be manifested. Should we despair? Never.