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.
Salam Pakistanis:
My latest on President Busharraf is up at Huffington Post. Adil Saab maybe you could link to it in future analysis:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ali-eteraz/pakistan- violence-erupts_b_48370.html
Intro:
Bush + Musharraf = Busharraf. This is what Pakistanis call their “enlightened moderate� (or is it, moderately enlightened) dictator.
I met President Musharraf after 9/11. He held a talk and a dinner at the Marriott in DC, and the Pakistani Embassy invited members of the Pakistani-American community. He gave a short talk and then announced that dinner would be served.
What kind of dinner was it? Musharraf and his wife came out, sat down on their table all by themselves, which was then cordoned off from the rest of the tables, and we could go to the edge of the restricted area and take pictures of the couple as they ate. I got as close to them as I could with my disposable Kodak and started snapping. I got a couple of good ones of Musharraf biting into a drumstick. Realizing the absurdity of the situation, I stopped taking pictures, raised my voice and got the attention of the autocratic couple.
“Thank you for coming all this way,� I said to them.
coups are a bad thing right? you would expect leaders who have the the pulse of awam would call for treason charges against plotters right?
you would not be wrong:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/473124 .stm
…Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and Imran Khan, a former cricket star and leader of the Justice party, have said the move was not unexpected.
Both politicians blamed Mr Sharif for sparking Tuesday’s military coup.
Benazir Bhutto: “Mr Sharif ruthlessly trampled on the rule of law” Ms Bhutto told the BBC in London that Mr Sharif was an “unpopular dictator” whose attempts to divide the army had triggered the military revolt.
…She said he had attacked the president and the supreme court, as well as accusing the press of treason. “He fought with everyone.”
Imran Khan: “Everyone in this country has welcomed the army”
But Ms Bhutto, a long-time adversary of Mr Sharif, said she did not think the army had any choice but to revert to civilian rule.
…Meanwhile, leader of Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-insaaf (Justice) party, Imran Khan, said people in Pakistan welcomed the coup.
“The sad thing is, everyone in this country has welcomed the army,” he told the BBC.
Imran Khan: Coup did not come as a surprise
Mr Sharif ran a fascist government, he said, and wanted to gain control over every institution in the country in order to become “a middle-eastern monarch”.
Post 10 by Ahmad Shahid was an excellent one indeed.
On a different topic, it seems that not many expats are aware of the music and dance at the government rally in Islamabad and the boast by Musharraf that the people of Karachi had demonstrated their real power.
Also, according to the lawyers of the CJ, on saturday morning, when the Sindh high court took suo notice of the way things were going and summoned a government official (I think it was the secretary or IG), he had also called the core commander of Karachi, but he did not appear in the court.
Whenever the government topples, today, tomorrow, day after tomorrow, or several years from now, this core commander should be punished for this blatent contempt of court and his complicity in the affair, along with the the main protagonists Musharraf and the MQM leaders involved in this gunda gardi.
they certainly dont make em like a commando of pakistani army.
one man on his own, oppressing a nation of 150mm people - so confident of his omnipotence that allows free electronic media which even the popularly elected leaders never permitted and someting still not tolerated in places like iran, saudi arabia and cheen. possessing a sadistic mindset, he launches suicide attacks against himself and his chotas. passes diabolical laws such as those which restored joint electorate.
days of oppression however are coming to an end. today people in california are rising - making themselves heard on widely popular internet blogs. tomorrow awam will be out on the street. if that fails there is always the belt option. on the bonus, riddance of mqm-perpetrators of the biggest hostage taking job in the history of mankid.
i have always maintained musharraf’s biggest fault is that he is too much of a softie. instead of dealing with politician in a zubaan they understand, he has treated them with kid gloves. his policy of allowing free media has been a failure as well. media spreads all sorts of non-sense without any accountability. plus people who care about these things will never be his supporters. these people want gora nizam which people of pakistan will never permit. so these people have no option but to spend their lives complaining. i am sure musharraf, being one of the smartest leaders going, around realises now who are his supporters. to people trying to overthrow him, you guys should give it your best shot. if he survives this, his next janum is not going to be very pretty.
Mutazalzaluzzaman Tarar:
I fully agree with you. Musharraf should be hanged and Ayub Khan and Zia-ul-Haq should be posthumously sentenced to death.
Musharraf has surrounded himself with idiots like the Chauhdries and terrorists like Altaf Hussain. This has caused him to lose all sense of perspective and reality. The people of Pakistan have had enough of illegal military dictatorships and tyranny.
Musharraf’s time is up. He just can’t see it because his followers won’t let him. General shaab, it’s time to pack up and flee to friendlier skies. If you stay, prepare to pay for all the crimes you have committed by making a mockery out of the sacred constitution of Pakistan for the last 8 years.
Regardless of whether Musharraf physically survives this or not, the time has come to make an example out of these jarnails. Musharraf, once he is forced out, should be retroactively stripped of all his title, rank, privileges, awards, assets for his service in the army. He should be hanged publicly and made an example for other army jayalas who envision hijacking Pakistan for their heinous personal designs.
ps. Maybe we should hang Altaf bhai too while we’re at it? Khas kamm jahan paak! We must start making people pay for their crimes. Otherwise, this vicious cycle will continue until the end of time.
Good post! We should praise those who are struggling for the freedom. But I do want to comment on when you said: “It is now well past time for the Musharraf regime to go.” Army rule is simply based on Gunda-gardee and Badmasshi; its not legetimate from the BEGINING. But unfortunately, many poltical parties’ agenda is also the same, as MQM(past & present), Jamat-i-Islam(in Zia’s time) and PPP(in late 70s). People are saying CJ should not have visited Karachi, well, he never entered the Karachi City, he returned from the airport. So pls, don’t blame him. His struggle seems like a dim light at the end of the tunnel.
Umair Masood writes, “@Lal Salaam and Hossp…“Pleaseâ↚¬Â¦ and I urge again that please dont drag Islam into this. You cannot blame Islam for what happened on May 12.â€Â?
I did not say anything about Islam in my post. I mentioned Jamaat Islami. It is a political party and in bed with the army for a long time. Islam is not the monopoly of the Talibans of the Jamaat Islami.
khuram
I agree with you. The CJ has gone beyond his constitutional duties. He had no right whatsoever to set up a parallel government via the Supreme Court. His Suo motto actions have no precedent in the modern Judicial history any where in the world. Now, he is working with the political parties to carry out agenda given to him. This is deplorable that a CJ has decided to use his exalted position for political ambitions.
But he is not alone. Before him the CJ Sajjad Shah tried to the same thing when Nawaz was PM. That resulted in Nawaz supporters attacking the Supreme Court. We need to realize that this same CJ was too glad to take oath under PCO and gave legitimacy to the Mush government.
We need to see these people as they are. Mostly, touts for the army.
His whole effort is to derail the elections and it is unfortunate that the Pakistani Lawyers are helping him to bring about Martial Law in the country.
Thanks.