Two years ago today-The beginning of the end.

Exactly two years ago, today was the day paramilitary forces stormed the Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) in Islamabad after a week-long standoff with the militant clerics holed up inside with dozens of hostages. It also marked the start of the end of the reign of then-President General Pervez Musharraf. After the Lal Masjid operation ended, peace deals that forces in the restive tribal areas were supposed to sign with the government were scrapped and a wave of attacks started. The lawyers movement also started in earnest after President Musharraf woefully misguaged public sentiment and sacked the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Mohammad Choudhry. Mind you, it also started the process that brought that idiot Zardari into the Presiential Palace. Anyway, President Musharraf was eventually forced to resign by a powerful coalition of political parties, the lawyers' movement and the citizenry. Later on, the same mix (minus the PPP) forced "President" Zardari to reinstate the Chief Justice.

So anyway, two years ago was the beginning of the end. In the process that began that day, Benazir Bhutto was killed, the PPP was brought into power, Musharraf was forced to resign, Zardari was made President, and a new wave of insurgency took hold in the northern and north-western areas of Pakistan. And so we ended up sending in the army and fighting a war against our own populace (albeit those who have chosen to wage war against Pakistan). What will happen next as a part of this process? No one knows. Lets just hope that its for the best.