Cynicism is a state of mind when all mental faculties to distinguish between good and bad are obscured and the person suffering from it exhibits an irresistible propensity to invariably focus his attention on dark side of every thing or looks askance at any development, tinged with a flair of despondency. Same is true with a group of people within a society who are also afflicted with this disease. They are the kind of people who invent and bandy around conspiracy theories to spread despondency among the masses. While the country is well on its way to witness history being made in regards to transition of power through public franchise and all state institutions are geared to make it a success, there are people out there who still believe that something might happen within the next two to three weeks that might jeopardise the whole exercise. Those who subscribe to this view include intellectuals, journalists and even some politicians. The other day I had the opportunity to meet certain individuals belonging to these communities in Islamabad and benefit from their pearls of wisdom on the unfolding events in Pakistan in the lead up to the elections. Majority of the participants of the discussion believed that Pakistan will have to pay the price for the decisions to go ahead with Pak-Iran gas pipe line and handing over of Gawadar port to the Chinese against the wishes of the US government. The line of argument was that the US would try to destabilise the country through a renewed wave of terrorist attacks, assassination of some political figures and helping the Baloch insurgents to step up their anti-state activities, which might lead to postponement of elections. Some also expressed the view that the return of Akhtar Mengal and Pervez Musharraf were part of the enactment of that conspiracy. AS regards US resentment over the IP gas pipe line and handing over of Gawadar port to China, no body can deny this fact and the Americans have never kept it secret. One cannot take issue with this conclusion but saying that this will motivate the US to encourage sabotage activities in Pakistan does not make sense. The US is poised to withdraw its troops and sophisticated equipment from Afghanistan, and it needs Pakistan to complete that process in a smooth and secure manner. The biggest worry for the US at this moment is to have a safe passage without the equipment and troops being attacked during transit. Instability or volatile law and order situation in Pakistan at this critical juncture simply does not suit its interests. The US surely has other ways to vent its frustrations over these decisions. The obtaining situation in Afghanistan and the reported US dialogue with the Taliban going nowhere, are also very strong factors to force the US to desist from any such strategy. With no end to fighting in Afghanistan in sight it is hard to conceive peace returning to Pakistan in the near future or the TTP giving up its hostility towards the government. It might try to increase the frequency of terrorist attacks within Pakistan during the coming days but the fact remains that they are not in a position to destabilise the country. Our security forces and agencies are fully capable of stopping them in their tracks as they have already shown in Swat, Malakand and other tribal areas. The army leadership supports the change of government through ballot and has committed itself to assist the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in holding the elections by providing fool-proof security in the sensitive areas identified by it. The Supreme Court has also unequivocally made it clear that it would not allow the democracy to be derailed and it would make sure that the elections are held in conformity with the constitution. Media and the civil society are all unanimous and determined to strengthen democracy in the country. Akhtar Mengal has already announced that his party will participate in the ensuing elections, which is a welcome development and a pointer to the fact that if the elections are held in a free fair and transparent manner, it might tempt the other estranged Baloch leaders and nationalist outfits to see their chances of having their grievances addressed through return to the mainstream of Pakistani politics. Reconciliation in Balochistan will come only through political channels and credible elections can pave the way for that process in the future. Similarly, the return of Pervez Musharraf and his intention to participate in the elections should not be attributed to the enactment of any conspiracy. He is a former head of the state and a Pakistani national. His return must be viewed like the return of Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif. In fact, I see it as a positive development He is implicated in the murder cases of Nawab Akbar Bugti and Benazir Bhutto as well as in the judges’ dismissal and confinement case, which he will have to face and clear his name. His trial would unveil the hidden aspects of these episodes for the nation to make an informed judgment. The caretaker prime minister in his meeting with the caretaker chief ministers of the provinces on Friday reiterated the fact that elections were a sacred trust of the people and the federal and provincial caretaker set ups were obligated to ensure that they were held in a transparent and credible way. All the foregoing developments are very reassuring and good enough reasons to dismiss the conspiracy theories and countering the efforts of the cynics to spread despondency among the masses or creating doubts about the elections taking place as per schedule. Another contention of the cynics is that nothing has changed and nothing will ever change in this country. This is also a skewed view of the present political landscape. Much has already changed. A new culture of political tolerance has taken roots in the country. All political forces, civil society and state institutions are unanimous in their commitment to strengthen democracy. We have a free media, a pro-active judiciary and an independent ECP. All have an unflinching resolve to purge the politics of unscrupulous elements and make sure that only people of integrity get to the parliament. All these developments represent a marked departure from our unenviable past. Cynics will remain cynics as the disease is incurable but for the people of Pakistan who have been yearning to see democracy taking roots in the country, these changes in the political environment are a cause of great satisfaction and hope. The writer is a retired diplomat, a freelance columnist and a member of the visiting faculty of the Riphah Institute of Media Sciences, Riphah International University, Islamabad. He can be reached at ashpak10@gmail.com