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.
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.
Fawad writes, “It is now well past time for the Musharraf regime to go.”
..And replaced by another General to continue with this endless cycle of stupid generals taking over the country after creating chaotic conditions with help from their political agents like Jammat Islami and MQM?
When will Pakistani learn? We have seen this all in 1958, 1969, 1977 and then in 1988-89 when Zia was forcibly removed.
People should understand that all this violence and mayhem is to change one army General to another. All these non political faces like the CJ or the MQM or The Jammat are Army’s B teams and they will do what is required of them.
The best course is to force Mush regime to hold free and fair elections and then go. The whole drama is get out the elections.
Bloggers should press for the elections as that is the only way out.
[quote comment=”47079″]Day 12/05: It is quite disturbing; I feel something is wrong with our self. As a nation we are confused, we are a Muslim Nation or Moderates or a South Asian or a Indian Muslim version or something more divided?
We have to clear our thoughts, who are we? I think ISLAM is the only supreme platform which may unite all the regional natives (sindhi,punjabi, pashtoon, seraeiiki, migratories, pathaan, kashmeri, some others) . Otherwise JAMHORIAT will keep as we are living. JAMHORIAT is not for us, if it is for us then why not we have implemented in long past 50 years. I will not accept the fact (politicians claims) that it was not implemented because SOME people played with it.
For myself, I will never put my country flag down (in all attributes of life).[/quote]
Well for sure we should ( if we can) clear our thoughts but just think that in last more than 1400 years Islam was unable to give any peacfull workable governing model. Even those called Khalifa-e-Rashdine came to power by killing one another.
@ Azhar [quote post=”702″]We have to clear our thoughts, who are we? I think ISLAM is the only supreme platform which may unite all the regional natives (sindhi,punjabi, pashtoon, seraeiiki, migratories, pathaan, kashmeri, some others) . [/quote]
I think we should all be Pakistanis WITH the realization that we are all different. We have our ethnic, linguistic,provincial and religious identities, and we can maintain those along with our Pakistaniat.The problem, in my opinion, is that we are trying to meld ourselves into one homogenous entity, which we are clearly NOT. Islam can never be a unifying force….. just look at history.
The only silver lining in all this chaos is that just as the CJ issue has unmasked a military dictator, the Karachi crisis has unmasked the MQM.