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.
sabahat — you are living in dreamworld — the number of people who get their news from blogs is miniscule — in any case, just because it grows doesnt mean it comes at the expense of the other media — only an idiot like you would think that a journalist like me would actually be threatened by the alternate media — and even within the mainstream media there are alternative spaces — bet that didnt occur to you either
anyways i am not talking about geo but about the print media — also even when aaj tv was attacked they did not name the party either — and for your information no print media organisation has either — so to single out one publication is a bit disingenous on your part
also professional journalists do not think of adverts or vested interests when the do their job sabahat — your insinuations that they do are in poor taste
Despite whatever has happened or is happening, I still strongly believe that people of our beloved Pakistan are just great. What we all need is a good leader, a real patriotic Pakistani with a good vision in a true sense. A person who understands who our REAL enemies are. A person who has the courage to stop depending on others who have not done and will never do anything for us. A person who knows and understands the potential in our people. We need a person who can boost up our morals, recreate within ourselves the sense of honour and integrity, and equal justice for all. A person who can create coherence and can show us the right direction. Inshallah we will prosper to spectacular heights, Inshallah.
Sorry, I didn’t close the italics tag properly. Hopefully, it’s fixed soon.
Mr. Omar R Qureshi: Whenever I read your comments I get the feeling that you are threatened by the ‘alternate media’ and are forever trying to impress upon people the weight that the print media and its ‘professional journalists’ have in your opinion. Nonetheless, slowly but surely that equilibrium is shifting, however much people like you may try and deny it. If I get no newspaper at my place and get all my news from either the net (online newspapers, blogs etc.) or television (and I am an ardent news follower) then I am sure there are others like me and in the coming years the number will only increase. Blogging may certainly not be as widespread a medium as the regular or print media but it has given a voice to people who have no vested interests, no advertisements to think of, no jobs being threatened and no editorship/censorship. Now obviously the above can be both a good and a bad thing but the fact of the matter is that it has its very own niche that newspapers cannot possibly have for they will forever be controlled in some way or the other.
As for Geo (as that is the only Jang Group part I can speak of with authority) it WAS certainly hedging and trying to play it safe, listening to Hamid Mir today on NDTV the fact hit home even more as he was far far more open in naming names while on NDTV compared to when he is on GEO.
Syed Talat Hussain is one of the few really brave and truly investigative journalists in Pakistan which is why he was targetted so on the 12th of May, GEO didn’t even come close to Aaj in their coverage. Even during the earthquake GEO had the utterly (PUKE PUKE) reprehensible Amir Liaquat Hussain insulting the thinking Pakistani’s intelligence whereas Talat Hussain dealt with the catastrophe with the dignity and heart it deserved.
As for your point about the print version of The News dealing with Hammad Raza’s death and not the online version, it is only when ‘professional journalists’ like you will start realizing the importance of news on the internet which is for more readily available will groups like The Jang Group really move forward in a new direction, till then you will continue to feel threatened by the ‘new media’ instead of embracing it and considering it an augmentation of the regular one and its friend and quirky partner.
Salamalikum,
king_faisal: Don’t make it a ethnic issue here even if the pushtoon in NWFP are making it into a ethnic issue. Nobody will win. Let people express their feelings instead of turning this topic into a lissani fasaad by writing what you think Punjabis/others think of Muhajirs. Since you are a Muhajir, you would know what Muhajirs think of others, including Punjabis!! Each ethnicity has its arrogance and looks down upon others, many a times, for similar things! Remember, people, takkabur is never good. And, I first remind myself and then others about the hadith that a person with even “zarra braber“ takkabur will not enter jannat. May Allah save us all, ameen.
I understand the brutality of army operation and it had opposite effect in that it turned MQM even more popular in Karachi and many resent the operation, but that doesn’t justify terrorizing the city at the hands of MQM. I know it’s hard for you to come to terms with MQM’s complicity in this matter, but by what you have written I can only say that in fact you aren’t a hardcore MQM-er. If you were, if you had talked with the unit incharges, sat with the karkuns, listen to speeches of Altaf, read their daily newspaper “Aman” (Peace), you wouldn’t be a bit surprised at what’s being written about MQM. Expect almost everything from them! They turned the otherwise soofaid poush, shaista and mohazab people into religiously-complacent, other-ethnicities hating, gun wielding, slogan shouting, bahta-eating, chest-thumping, maghroor quam that it’s today, unfortunately!!
king_faisal: Remember, nobody is saying others are innocent and only MQM is wrong. Yes, everyone has stolen but that doesn’t give MQM the right to force bahta out of supposedly its own people of Karachi. What other political party is known to do so this widely? You logic is lacking sense: MQM WANTED its own rally and of course wanted to disturb rallies of the other side. And, by the way, many MQM shooters weren’t in the rally. They had been given “otherâ€