ISLAMABAD, Jan 1: The black day went off without making any statement. In the Punjab and the capital where the PPP and PML-N have a presence, no one seemed to have taken any notice of the protest.

And reports from Gujrat where the PML President Chaudhry Shujaat had arranged a grand reception for the president the same day proved, if proof was needed at all, that the people at large were not at all interested in uniform. Otherwise the people of Gujrat at last would certainly have taken notice of the Nath House reception in honour of the uniformed president.

Though the president has settled the issue of the uniform once and for all, people at large are still trying to hold him accountable for what they believe to be the wide gap between his preachings and his practice.

For instance, after the agreement between the government and the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal on Legal Framework Order, President Gen Pervez Musharraf addressed the nation on December 24, 2003, and said, "I have decided that I will remove my uniform by December 2004 and relinquish the office of the Chief of the Army Staff. During this period, I myself will decide about the exact date."

At that time, President Musharraf said he had decided to take off his uniform despite suggestions to the contrary by many because in his view it was undemocratic.

Later, addressing the joint session of parliament on January 17, 2004, President Musharraf quoted the saying of the Quaid-i- Azam: "I assure you that there is nothing more precious in the world than your conscience."

Earlier, addressing the nation on November 20, 2002, President Musharraf recited verse 34 of Sura Bani Israel from the holy Quran which said "Always fulfil your promises. No doubt you will be questioned about your promises."

In the same address, President Musharraf went on to recite verse No 1 of Sura Almaida and its translation as: "O believers act upon what you say. "In the same address, the president said, "Now I would like to throw some light on the promises I made. You can judge how far I have kept my promises.

"What has been my personal character? It is the duty of all the rulers to be truthful. I am answerable for my personal character because I am the custodian and I consider my office as a trust. Now you have to decide whether I have ever told a lie. Whether I have gone back on my promise. Al hamdolillah I have always spoken the truth and kept my promise."

On June 20, 2001, Gen Musharraf, the Chief Executive since October 12, 1999, took over as country's president by easing out Rafiq Tarar through an amendment to a clause of the PCO of 14th October 1999, which allowed continuity to the ex-president of Pakistan. Thinking about that for a number of months, Gen Musharraf told the nation he took "one of the most difficult decisions" of stepping into presidency.

He assured the nation that "national interest" would remain supreme over "any personal or political interest."

Addressing the nation on December 30, 2004, President Musharraf explained the reasons for going back on a pledge he made almost a year ago.

"The Constitution allows me to retain both the offices until 2007. And, I shall never violate the Constitution." He also told the nation that uniform was a non-issue for the people and that "spirit" and "essence of democracy" had been restored in the country.

Wonder if something disappears in Orwellian blackhole or the questions of morality and credibility come back to resonate only in annals of history and not the conscience of men?