IT'S supposed to be the same polity and electorate that the politicians are competing over, but the different parts of the political spectrum appear to be occupying different worlds at the moment. In Davos, Prime Minister Gilani confirmed what has seemed apparent ever since the parliamentary resolution in support of the government was passed by a thumping majority earlier this month: early polls are off the table. Over in the PML-N corner, reality also seems to be sinking in as party insiders have begun to move away from the get-Zardari campaign that was supposed to help trigger early polls. But elsewhere, it's a rally a week, if not two, for some political parties, old, new and in-between.

What does this rally fever mean? When the government's parliamentary position looked uncertain, they may have made sense, from a position of self-interest, in that the rallies by opposition parties helped build pressure on the government and could have possibly helped triggered fresh polls. But in the present circumstances where the government appears to be secure and the main parliamentary opposition sedate, rally fever may just end up causing electoral burnout even before the starting bell for the campaign cycle is heard. Perhaps some of the parties may want to think of conserving their energy for the short but intense race to the finish that Pakistani elections have been historically instead of plodding along marathon-style when the end is nowhere in sight. There's plenty to do between now and the election: coming up with solutions for Pakistan's long-standing economic, security and political problems; developing a realistic health and education policy; figuring out how Pakistan can take positive advantage of its regional position instead of always fending off threats, real and perceived. Just give the country a break from all the rallying. There'll be plenty of time for that later.