Raza Rumi
Adil’s post on Kasuri incident has prompted me to recall the recent thrashing of Naeem Bokhari by his peers.
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That Mr. Naeem Bokhari, documented a nasty invective against the Chief Justice of Pakistan remains a tragic event in our recent history. This letter, wittingly or unwittingly became a basis for that notoriously illegal reference against the top judge of the country. Bokhari should not have become a party to the typical power games as an officer of the court and he needs to explain much more than he already has.
What happened thereafter is all too well known to be repeated here. The apex court backed by the public opinion restored the honour of its Chief and effectively altered the destiny of this country. A new beginning was scripted by the citizenry with immense faith in the Constitution and ![]("/images/NB/CJ.jpg")
its guardians. Never has the predatory executive suffered such a blow in Pakistan’s turbulent history. Ordinary, unlettered Pakistanis, joined in to conclude that due process was something intrinsic, vital and non-negotiable. Exactly after a week the Lord Chief Justice was reinstated by his brothers, while addressing a seminar, he noted:
"The last four months in our national history have changed something forever. I feel proud to say that not only the judiciary and 90,000-plus black-coated fraternity, but the entire civil society is ready to sacrifice everything to uphold the Constitution and achieve rule of law…"
A few days later, we read the news that Bokhari was manhandled by his ‘black-coated’ fraternity when he re-appeared in the Courts after a long break. Naeem Bokhari broke the silence and wrote in The News on what exactly transpired on that fateful day when the Rawalpindi lawyers’ "fury" resulted in his humiliation and ruthless thrashing. Bokhari’s license was canceled during the lawyers’ movement and later a High Court Judge had suspended that decision. However, when Bokhari tried to argue in a Rawalpindi Court, the secretary of the Rawalpindi Bar stated that the High Court order had been "passed by a Shia judge, who according to another lawyer was a tout." Later, some of the lawyers were ready to strip him naked and thrash. The police intervened in this process but according to Bokhari the lawyers wanted his "physical custody."
Bokhari painted a harrowing picture of his treatment. He alleges that he was "forcibly pushed out of the courtroom and hit on the head again and again." At the end of this mob frenzy, Bokhari and his associate were severely beaten. Symbolically Bokhari’s coat was snatched and his shirt was torn. Humiliating as it is, the whole incident is reminiscent of tribal notions of justice.
While the misgivings against the perceived collaborators of the executive may be justified, such abusive treatment is not. It is plainly out of the ambit of the laws and code of conduct under which the legal profession is regulated. In fact, such incidents can taint the heroic image that the lawyers’ bodies have earned through their relentless, spectacular struggle.
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Having said that, Bokhari’s contention is a little shaky that he will not apologize for his letter for which he considers "answerable to the court, not to any mob." He is definitely not accountable to mobs but his letter was neither benign nor factually correct.
Now that the legal fraternity has won its prime battle and an independent Supreme Court and political process will tackle country’s quagmire, it is time that the Bar leaders should pay attention to the long-neglected issues concerning regulation and internal accountability of the legal profession.
The state of legal education barring a few elite institutions mirrors the general collapse of the education system. Bar Councils hold uneven entry examinations and relaxed entry policy is doing more harm than good to the profession. Countries such as Malaysia, India and Sri Lanka have improved legal education and Bar-entry examinations. We are lagging behind in this respect; and resultantly the quality of entrants is not the best. Similarly, action against erring lawyers is not always certain as the politics and electoral prowess of Bar subgroups (often organized along the lines of caste or sect) impede the process. These issues are well known to the legal community and they have the best solutions to correct this situation. This is the best time for the Bar leaders to take tough decisions to reform the way their profession is regulated.
If Bokhari’s story is true, then to uphold professional reputation and ethics, the Bar should question the members of fraternity who handled their "foes" – Bokhari and Kasuri among others – in a feudal manner. Would it be too much to ask that the Supreme Court should take suo moto notice of this incident and reaffirm that it is the ultimate guardian of constitutional rights and that it will not let its law-officers, especially in their name, behave the way an unaccountable executive governs.
And, Mr Bokahri, will have to set the record straight and apologize to the Court for unduly scandalizing the highest officer holder of the judiciary.
Raza Rumi blogs at Jahane Rumi
BROWN HAIR, BLUE EYES … NO LEGS ; I got a husband with THIS text message on dating website in our site highlights for brown hair
The People (London, England) November 13, 2011 | Nick Dorman ; Jack McKay PAINTING half a picture was never going to work for Lewisa Jordan as she tried her luck with online dating.
She simply had to tell would-be boyfriends her features were: “Brown hair, blue eyes, no legs!” Lewisa, 30, was born with a deformed lower body because of a one-in-a-million condition and learned to walk on her hands.
Yet the courageous youngster did better than most – to become a prize-winning horse rider and Cambridge University graduate.
Now, of all her achievements she rates the best as giving birth to her beloved son Ed after meeting and marrying the man of her dreams Graham Jordan, 32.
And it all started with that brave text message when she was 21.
Talking about it for the first time exclusively to The People, Lewisa said: “I was back at my parents’ house for the summer holidays from uni and I was really bored.
“I thought I would try a text chatroom for a laugh, just something to pass the time.” She put her profile on an online forum operated by BT, recalling. “I did it casually, not expecting anything, but soon I got a reply from Graham saying hello.
“He was really friendly and we sent a few texts back and forth.
Lovely “When he asked me what I looked like I wrote ‘brown hair, blue eyes, no legs!’ He wrote back, ‘does that mean you’re short, then?’ “After that we started speaking on the phone and just clicked straight away.
“He was just my type, funny, easy-going and intelligent but because he lived in Glasgow and I was in Lincolnshire I didn’t think anything would come of it.
“Looking back, it was madness but after a few texts and three or four phone calls I invited him to stay with me in Cambridge.
“I even went to pick him up at the airport in my car, which is specially adapted so I can drive. Graham knew what I looked like before he arrived because we had swapped photographs. We fell in love really early in our relationship.
“Even when we had talked on the phone there was an undeniable spark. My legs have never been an issue. He loves me for who I am.” Lewisa had made sure she told Graham about her disability at the first opportunity but he fell for her quick wit and warm personality.
She said: “He knew I had no legs and he told me it didn’t matter to him what I looked like.
“When he saw me he didn’t act any differently. He’s the kind of guy that’s so chilled out he’s practically horizontal, as they say.
“Graham is such an easy going kind of guy and when he told me my condition wouldn’t be an issue for him I believed him. He put me at ease straight away.
“He stayed for the weekend then he just kept visiting.” When she finished her teaching degree, financial worker Graham moved to Cambridgeshire and the couple set up home. She said: “He learned pretty quickly how to assemble my chair.” After three years living together they were married in 2005. website highlights for brown hair
It was their dream to start a family but they were afraid it might be dangerous for her.
Lewisa said: “We looked at fostering but came up against a social worker who couldn’t see past my disability and made it difficult.
“In the end we saw a fertility specialist who told us to try for a baby.” Lewisa became pregnant in 2007.
She said: “I was quite excited but scared as well. We didn’t really know what was going to happen and it was a bit of an experiment. None of the doctors could give me much advice because they just didn’t know.” When Lewisa was born her parents gave her up for adoption because they couldn’t cope with her disability caused by the rare condition sacral agenesis.
She said: “They were told I would be a constant burden and I’d never have any kind of life.
“When I was fostered the couple who became my foster parents were even told I would not be able to read or write. “My condition was so uncommon the doctors didn’t understand all the implications.” As a baby Lewisa’s legs were badly deformed and at the age of four it was decided they should be amputated.
She owes a lot to the love and support of foster parents Daisy and John Freshney.
Lewisa said: “I was with them virtually from birth. As far as I am concerned they are my mother and father. I was encouraged to see myself as the same as everyone else.” She enjoyed a fully active childhood in Boston, Lincs, with Guide camps and riding lessons.
At 18 Lewisa was representing the UK in international dressage contests for people with disabilities.
“I was always accepted as a child,” she recalled. “The other kids saw I had no legs but it wasn’t an issue.
“I wasn’t bullied. I went on the climbing frame with the others and if I got stuck they just give me a tug.” Lewisa did so well in school she went on to Cambridge for a BA in Education and achieved her goal of becoming a primary school teacher.
But the prospect of being a mum was the greatest challenge yet.
She said: “I was scared but when you are pregnant you can’t decide you can’t go through with it. As I got bigger I could do less and less and had to just lie down for most of the day.
“During the last couple of months I was really tired and Graham was so sweet. He came home from work to make me lunch.
“I spent my day either in bed or on the sofa watching films because I couldn’t move.
“My belly was too heavy for comfort and I was exhausted.” Harder Ed was delivered by Caesarean a month before he was due in 2008.
Lewisa said: “It was easy. I woke up and the hard part had been done.” Taking the newborn baby home posed more problems for the mum who had to look after her little one from her wheelchair.
She said: “In the morning I had to strap him to me before edging down the stairs very slowly.
“I was always scared I was going to fall forward with him.
“He was a good baby, though, and didn’t cry a lot. But when he learned to walk he became harder to control. We stick to a routine. He has to hold on to my wheelchair when we go out. He will be cheeky and run off but luckily I can move faster than him.” Now a bright three-year-old and looking forward to going to school, Ed towers over his mum.
Graham said: “Lewisa is the love of my life. I don’t see her disability in any way. I never have. It was never an issue for me. She is my soulmate.” Having grown up in a loving family, it is important for Lewisa that Ed has all the joys she had.
She said: “We have one healthy baby I’ve always been of the mind that if someone says I can’t do it, I am more likely to do it.
“Because of the way I was born I have always been very determined.” nick.dorman@people.co.uk Nick Dorman ; Jack McKay
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I want to fulk Naeem Bukhari & his beautiful wife from his peeth & mouth.
Curse to Naeem Bukhari & Family.