The details emerging out of Pakistan are still somewhat sketchy but some facts are clear; more than 30 people are dead and over 115 injured. The Chief Justice of Pakistan was unable to address the Sindh Bar Association and was forced to go back to Islamabad and the private television station Aaj TV, which has been in the forefront of covering pro-judiciary and anti-Musharraf protests, was attacked by armed gunmen. This is indeed another dark day in the checkered political history of Pakistan.
It is now well past time for the Musharraf regime to go. This government has now lost the last shreds of moral authority required to govern. I salute the men and women of the civil society of Pakistan and the courageous independent media who are leading this struggle for the supremacy of the law and freedom of expression at grave risk to their life and limb.
As tragic and sad as events in Karachi are, this political moment is of historic import for the people of Pakistan and even on this day of darkness I see some hope for a better future. Since the sacking of the CJP on March 9th, the heroic struggle of the lawyers has germinated greater democratic desire and decisively strengthened Pakistan’s civil society and its beleagured independent media.
In the face of relentless governmental coercion there have been heartwarming displays of peaceful resistance, none more evident than in the historic journey of Justice Chaudhry through the heart of Punjab. Those in Pakistan and abroad who desire an eventual constitutional democratic polity rooted in a rule of law have to be encouraged by these developments. The conclusion of this episode, however, remains highly uncertain because no political sagacity can be expected from those who have brought us to this pass.
This grassroots peoples’ movement has also forced the politicians of all hues to make a choice; they either stand on the side of the rule of law or for the perpetuation of a dangerously unstable, one-man military banana republic. Mainstream politicians (despite all their historical shortcomings) clearly seem to grasp the national mood and the King’s men who are standing up for the present dispensation to save their personal fiefdoms will hopefully pay a steep price whenever they face the electorate in a fair election.
MQM more clearly exposed itself today than it ever has in its sordid history (thanks to private TV channels). The party that started with great hopes, rooted in the educated middle classes has over the years just become a collection of vicious thugs. It is wielding its fascistic tactics on behalf of people who seem to believe they have a divine right to perpetual power and who originally nurtured this party as a counterweight to PPP. MQM has shown itself the mirror image of the worst of MMA; both groups want people to acquiesce to their ideologies by force. Neither believes in nor has any fundamental respect for a constitutional rule of law.
Pakistan stands at a critical juncture as it has so many times in its unfortunate 60 year independent history. I would urge all Pakistanis and their well wishers to lend thier support to the struggle of Pakistan’s revitalized civil society. Let’s hope that the forces of peaceful democratic activism led by the country’s courageous lawyers ultimately emerge victorious and we can close this latest chapter of the military’s recurring era of authoritarian and unconstitutional misrule without further human suffering.
Fawad is a California-based literati-at-large and writes the blog ‘Moments of Tranquility,’ where a version of this was first posted.
The issue of “independence of Judiciary” is basically artificial in the prevailing situation because the original issue i.e. reference against CJ was “personal” in nature. Musharraf’s government may be totally flopped. But the issue of “independence of Judiciary” is also fake.
Fact is that Judiciary is perhaps more than independent in our country. CJ has been openly demonstrating his strength or power. He has been acting parallel to governmental authority. What else “independence of judiciary” could be in a real world…???
Musharraf is unsuccessful also because he could not effectively confine Mr. CJ in his right limits. Fact is that CJ is totally independent of any governmental authority. Government could not sent him back to Islamabad earlier just because government had no “authority” to order CJ to leave Karachi. Whatever was the “cause” … But the need of that crucial time was that CJ might immediately have left Karachi. It would be the right way to control that burning situation.
Regards!
I wrote this to the NY Times, but seems like it won’t make it to their letters page, so posting it here. If more of us write, perhaps we might get some attention to this incredible mockery of justice and professed values.
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Dear Editors,
In a caricature reminiscent of the fabled Roman emperor Nero, General Musharraf addresses an arranged rally of thousands in distant Islamabad, Britian allows a crazed politician to fan flames of ethnic hatred in Karachi, and the Bush Administration waxes quiet acquiescence to the realpolitic of keeping the Army empowered in
Pakistan as an ally in the war against terror. The casualty, of course, is Pakistan’s Great Secular Democracy Movement led by an unlikely Chief Justice and his lawyers movement for political plurarity and rule of law.
Will Pakistan survive this new Great Game? Or will it erupt into complete lawlessness with big consequences to the West and the region. The Iraq experience should give us pause.
Regards,
S. Izaz Haque
@Lal Salaam and Hossp…
Please… and I urge again that please dont drag Islam into this. You cannot blame Islam for what happened on May 12. And surely Pakistan’s history of 50+ years and the upheavals we have gone through in this long period were the doings of our leaders, politicians and the military men… who just wanted to CLING to the throne forever!
Islam cannot be made the scapegoat of the current situation of the country.
Fawad & Raza Rumi
I agree it is time for Musharraf to go and believe his forced leave (peaceful pressure of people not bullets and mayhem please) will auger well for a better Pakistan bereft of army generals who will think twice before attacking the judiciary and our political process for their personal lust for power.
In terms of arrangements, I dont see why the Chief Justice cannot be the Acting President also and appoint someone impartial and principled like Just Retd Fakhruddin G Ebrahim to head the election commission to ensure free and fair elections under the supervision of a caretaker government headed by people like Asma Jehangir and so on.
Feimanallah
@Umair
CJ was advised by the government not to go to Lahore by road as a security risk. But it proved to be a historical public mobilization.
Similar was expected in Karachi. It was a challenge for mqm to have huge public gathering in Karachi without their collaboration. They preferred to sacrifice their own workers and kill others to keep their hegemony of public mobilization in Karachi. Unfortunately, it is the peak of political intolerance and violence on behalf of them.
Earlier, Ayub Khan, Zia ul Haq, Nawaz Sharif and Musharraf subjugated, attacked and plundered our judicial system. mqm is an addition to that list.
Ahmad R Shahid: I agree with your incisive analysis. Things have changed in the last decade and this will have repercussions on the country’s future.
Hossp: well said - we need to look beyond individual targets - we have seen this before and the results are well known. Alas, as the saying goes: the biggest lesson of history is that we do not learn from history!
Well the change is imminent, not just because the CJP has taken a stand but because the tectonic plates are shifting in Pakistan for quite some time now.
Over the years, a huge number of people have migrated from rural to urban areas. According to some estimates its 40% of the population of Pakistan, amounting to 64 million (more than the population of both France and Britain) out of total of more than 160 million, lives in the cities. That urban lifestyle has given them the courage to speak out for their rights, which they couldn’t really while living in the rural areas. Urban lifestyle is totally different from the rural lifestyle. With more wealth in urban areas comes the greater capacity to think for one’s freedom and rights.
According to one estimate that was published in the Asia Times online a few years back (http://www.atimes.com), those earning more than $5,000 per annum in Asia belong to the middle class. That means a little more than $416 per month, which roughly amounts to Rs. 25,000 per month. According to the claim of the Asia Times every person on average spent 2/3 of its income above $5,000 on luxuries in Asia. That makes a lot of middle class people in Pakistan, specially in the richer cities such as Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi/Islamabad, Gujranwala, Multan, Hyderabad and Peshawar, all with populations of more than a million. That is quite different from say the 50’s or the 60’s when the Army walas were quite sophisticated as compared to the ordinary people because there were few other job opportunities. But now a large number of people are more sophisticated than them, that is way there is increased inclination among them to see themselves at par with or even better than the Faujis. That is tectonic shift that I was talking about and with that there is increased realization among the people that the military is not their choice of last resort, they can act and think better than them and hence the quest for greater freedom and democracy. No one can reverse the clock now, not even the mighty Generals with heavenly mandates!
Hossp, I agree with you. Elections is the only way out.