Adil Najam
The way that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court was removed was bad enough. But what has happened since then is even more disturbing.
The Chief Justice removed. Media being muzzled. Lawyers protesting beaten up.
One can debate whether Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry should have been removed or not, or even whether the way he was removed was appropriate or not. But there is no question that the way the government is dealing with this issue is shameful, distressing, and dangerous.
The shamefulness is obvious in these pictures; just as it was when a young man’s shalwar was taken off as he protested ‘disappearances’ some months ago. It is distressing because it demonstrates the sanctity of our most important institutions – the judiciary and the media – is under stress. It is dangerous because if one keeps slipping down this road then it is not merely the future of this government but that of the entire country that will be at stake.
Whether the lawyers here instigated the violence or not, I do not know. They very possibly did, and that is itself disturbing. But that is not the point. The question is how a society and a state deals with dissent and protest. Once again, the answer is: “Shamefully.”
I do not know who is advising the government on all of this. I just pray that someone is. I hope there is someone who stands up and says:
“Don’t do this.
Please don’t do this.
This is not good for you.
This is not good for the country.
This cannot be good for anyone.
Please – for God’s sake – STOP!”
I wish I had something more profound to say right now. But as I stare at these pictures and this video clip, I hold my head in shame; I am distressed; and I ponder on the dangers before us.
All I can think of right now is: “Allah khair karey!”
(Also see a BBC video report here. All pictures above from BBC website; video from GEO News).ÂÂÂ
Geo TV office is being attacked by the police right now as I type these words. I hope someone is recording all this so that it can be posted on the internet.
[…] The last week has been a whirlwind of disturbing development. Starting with the removal of Chief Justice Chaudhry Mohammad Iftikhar by the President, things just kept going from bad to worse. Protesting lawyers were mistreated, as was the Chief Justice, Minister Wasi Zafar embarrassed himself as well as the nation yet again, and most recently we saw that not just the judiciary but also the press is under stress as private TV channels are told to cool off and the GEO TV news show by Kamran Khan was banned. […]
Rashid terms detention of defunct CJ Iftikhar as wrong, trying to make Ahauk Aziz the fall guy
Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Wednesday has termed detention of defunct CJ Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and preventing his children from continuing their academic studies as wrong. However, he said that the politicians sitting abroad were trying to manipulate the present situation in the country by politicising a purely constitutional matter.
“These elements resorted to creating law and order problems, setting aside their national responsibility and the respect for the judiciary,â€
The present government is using the Nawaz government’s storming of the supreme court as a justification. At least by doing this they are equating the two despicable acts.
Blast from the past:
“President Leghari is now gone and so is CJ Sajjad Ali Shah; the latter is now designated as ‘Chief Justice under restraint (CJUR)’ — a novel addition to legal lexicon conjured up, presumably, under the ‘doctrine of necessity’. We are thus now blessed with two chief justices of the supreme court — one CJ regular but ‘under restraint’ and the other CJ functional but ‘acting’. Here again we have scored a new first worthy of a prominent entry in the next edition of the Guinness Book of World Records.”
Leghari is awfully quiet. Oops! I forgot – he is with Mush. Even a PML(Q) parliamentarian/leghari group yesterday said to me supporting his sons has made an eunuch out of him. I say it is profiting from his sons that has sealed his lips. His excuse would be he is not feeling well and had an angiogram yesterday. Mush’s actions seem to be tough on these guys with Ch. Shuj having an angioplasty as well — do they see the writing on the wall?
Also don’t forget the Kamran Khan show which has banned. It seems that the gov is willing to go to any length to muzzle dissent. I seems that we are living in communist Russia in the 70’s.