In one such party, Adm. Bashir shared his views with others on Pakistan's national issues. I asked him a couple of questions and, frankly speaking, was not impressed by his take on sensitive issues like Kashmir and US-Pakistan joint operations in Afghanistan and the northern areas of Pakistan.

Lately, I saw Adm. Bashir on Pakistani TV channels saying that the terror attack on Pakistan Naval Base (PNS) Mehran in the heart of Karachi was not due to security lapse.

The incident shocked the entire nation. A 16-hour battle at a naval base that led to the death of 10 security personnel and loss of two P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft costing an estimated $36 million is not a joke.

I would like to know what else could be a security lapse.

The growing attacks on Pakistani forces and their installations have exposed the weaknesses and shortcomings of the Pakistani defense system. Adm. Bashir said in his press briefing there were five to seven militants who had stormed the PNS Mehran base, while an FIR registered at the local police station by one of the naval officers said 10 terrorists had attacked the base. And Interior Minister Rehman Malik claimed there were six terrorists, four of them were killed and two escaped. Now which version is to be believed?

Pakistanis are yet to recover from the shock of Abbottabad raid and are awaiting a judicial inquiry as per the resolution passed by the National Assembly. Nothing on that front has happened except that Pakistani authorities have handed over the debris of the destroyed US helicopter to the United States. During that assembly session, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had vowed that violation of Pakistan's sovereignty would not be tolerated, but drone attacks still continue unabated.

In this difficult situation, Pakistanis' only hope was the army. But the terrorist attacks on defense installations have shattered people's confidence. Pakistani politicians are planning and preparing deals for the next election. No one is sincerely talking about practical measures to save the country from threats and conspiracies against the sovereignty of Pakistan.

This is not the time for deals, but it is time to forge unity in order to save the country.

No one wants to condemn the armed forces, but they must also be made accountable for their actions. This is the time for the people of Pakistan to open their eyes, come out of their shortsighted mindset and stand up to save the country. Abusing and condemning those writers, intellectuals and the civil society that have the audacity to pinpoint issues is not going to fix Pakistan's problems.

Now is the time for the people to decide whether they want to live with dignity and respect or recede into history as a failed nation. United States or China will not save Pakistan, our unity faith and integrity can save us.

— The writer is a Sydney-based journalist and a political analyst, his homepage is www.sauhassn.com